After the mission to retrieve the Elemental Staff was complete, Team Guy was able to take an entire week off. The break was much needed for the team, and it gave Lee's and Hisako's hands time to heal. Neji and Hisako were walking through the village quietly, neither had said anything since they left the Hyuga Estate with the intent of getting out of the Estate to take a stroll through the village.
Hisako was the first to break the silence with a sigh, her hands clasped behind her back as she lifted her gaze up toward the sky, "you know, I have to admit, I'm kinda jealous of the Hyuga Clan's ability to protect themselves with the use of that rotation ability you guys have," she mused.
"It's an ability that only the Head Family is supposed to know," Neji reminded Hisako.
Hisako turned her attention to him and gave him a giant smile, "Exactly. And you learned it just by observation alone. You're pretty amazing. The concept of the jutsu is you expel chakra from every point in your body to create a barrier and then you rotate to give it extra strength so you can repel attacks, correct?"
Neji nodded his head, "that's the idea anyways,"
"I just, I know there's no way I could do that exactly, but anybody can expel chakra from their chakra points. That's how we can walk up trees with only our feet. So theoretically, I wonder if I could create something similar, to give myself at least a little bit of protection,"
Neji's gaze turned surprised and he blinked a few times, trying to formulate a response in his head before speaking, "Theoretically yes, it could be done. But, a jutsu like that would be highly advanced. I don't know if the most skilled Jonin could do something like that. The level of chakra control needed is incredible,"
"Yeah, I know, but, I still wanna look into it," Hisako replied with a shrug, "it's just a thought,"
"If you do figure out something like that, you'll be the first," Neji muttered under his breath.
Hisako let out a small laugh and nodded her head, "I know, that's one of the reasons why I want to do it,"
A few feet ahead of them, she spotted Sasuke buying something from a shop and she waved at him. He looked up and noticed her waving, and he waved back, grabbing the bag from the shop owner. Hisako noticed the bandages that covered his body from head to toe, and she couldn't help but squint in question. He looked like he had been badly hurt.
"What happened to Sasuke?" Hisako mused as they walked over to her cousin, "Sasuke! You're covered in bandages," Hisako exclaimed, placing her own bandaged hands on her hips, "What happened to you?"
"My previous mission didn't go as planned," Sasuke explained, his voice nonchalant as his gaze went anywhere but on Hisako, "it was rather annoying. The person who hired us lied so he could pay less for the mission. Kakashi decided that we could continue on in the mission, and we succeeded, but, it was rather difficult."
"I can tell! Are you going to be okay?" Hisako asked, concern in her voice.
Even though her relationship with Sasuke was strained, and rather difficult to deal with right now, she couldn't help but feel worried for the only family member she had left in this world. Despite how he treated her in the past, she still loved him and cherished him. She wanted to be there to support him in any way she could. She just didn't have it in her heart to be angry at him.
Neji felt totally different as he stood beside Hisako, not making eye contact with her cousin, but his muscles were tensed almost like he was ready for Sasuke to jump at Hisako. Neji seemed to have lost all trust in Sasuke with how he's treated her in the past.
"I'll be fine, I was released from the hospital today," Sasuke reassured Hisako.
"Okay, good, I'm glad to hear that," Hisako replied, but she frowned.
Sasuke wasn't making eye contact with Hisako, and it seemed like he was holding something back like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Hisako leaned toward him, trying to get a better look at his face but he kept averting his gaze.
"Alright, what gives? It seems like there's something more you want to say," Hisako finally said, tilting her head to the side in question.
Sasuke let out a sigh, "Yes, but," he paused and his dark gaze went to Neji before quickly going back to Hisako, "I need to speak with only you,"
"No," Neji replied curtly
"Alright," Hisako said just as quickly saying it at the same time as Neji spoke.
Hisako let out a sigh and Neji stepped forward, taking up a protective stance in front of Hisako.
"Fine, but if you hurt her, I swear-"
"Does it look like I'm capable of that right now, Hyuga?" Sasuke snapped back, interrupting Neji.
Hisako bit her lip. She was pretty sure she was about to see the two throw punches in public but Neji kept his cool like he always did.
"There's more than one way you can hurt people, Uchiha," Neji warned, taking a step back.
"Alright, alright, let me just see what Sasuke needs and then why don't we go meditate, Neji?" Hisako asked, raising her hands innocently.
Neji's expression didn't soften any and his arms were crossed over his chest again as Hisako walked away with Sasuke, Neji's lavender eyes staring into Hisako's back like daggers as they walked away.
"What do you need to talk about, Sasuke?" Hisako asked quietly.
"I activated my Sharingan," he announced, looking at her from the corner of his eye.
"O-Oh! That's great news!" Hisako replied, clapping her hands together as they sat down on a park bench, "I'm guessing it happened during the last mission,"
Sasuke nodded his head, "I know you've had yours for a long time already,"
Hisako nodded her head, but frowned when she noticed Sasuke's sullen expression, "Sasuke," she said his name gently, "I've been doing some research in regards to the Sharingan lately. At least, to whatever I could find in the library and what Kakashi Sensei has told me. But, the Sharingan is an ability that responds to high stress, high emotional situations. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you've had your Sharingan since the day the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, you just haven't had a high stress situation bad enough to warrant you awakening the Sharingan again. Until now, at least.
"Whatever happened on your mission, triggered your Sharingan to awaken to save your life. I only got mine at such a young age because of the stress I was forced to endure. Do you remember when those members of the Uchiha Clan attacked me? I know you weren't there, but I know you heard the story,"
Sasuke nodded his head. It was a horrible day. And now, Hisako had a scar on her left arm and hand to remind her of that day constantly, especially if she did too much with her wrist. Her left wrist would always be weaker than her right now because of that day.
"Because of that day, I was forced to awaken the Sharingan. Up until then, it was rumored that I possessed it, but, it was never verified until I felt that my life was in danger. That's the only reason why I gained the ability at such a young age. It's really not a blessing. Since it's taken you so long to awaken your Sharingan again, I would consider it a blessing."
Sasuke shook his head, and Hisako was surprised by the anger that she saw in his dark eyes, but he concealed his anger a moment later, "Hisako, how many tomoe do you have?"
"Oh! I-uh," Hisako stammered, dropping her gaze to the ground, and biting her lip.
Sasuke was very competitive in nature. She figured that came from his desire for revenge now. He figured that strength was everything he needed to take down Itachi and avenge his clan. So, she had a feeling that Sasuke wasn't going to like the answer he was going to hear from Hisako.
"It took many years of training with the Sharingan with Kakashi Sensei, but, I now have three tomoe in each eye," she said quietly.
His eyes widened in surprise as he stared at Hisako in disbelief. Hisako let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened again, she could see everything more vividly, more clearly. She could see the chakra in every living being, and the world seemed to move slower around her. She also noticed Neji standing in the trees near them, watching them with his Byakugan probably to make sure Sasuke didn't do anything to Hisako again. Why did that not surprise her? She turned her gaze up to Sasuke, letting him see for himself the three tomoe in each eye.
He was as still as a statue as he stared at her eyes, and she saw his eyes flicker with pain, and anger again. She closed her eyes, deactivating the Sharingan.
"I'm still not strong enough," Sasuke murmured under his breath, resting his elbows on his knees.
Hisako's gaze softened, "it's only because of all the extra training I've had to do for so long. It's the only reason I've made so much progress," Hisako told him quietly.
"Why?"
Hisako looked up at Sasuke's question, "Why what?"
"Why all the extra training? I remember that, even during the academy days, you would always train. With Kakashi Sensei, or Lord Hokage, with me, and Neji. All you would do is train,"
Hisako let out a long sigh, "Well, beyond the responsibilities that I have, I guess I chose to get in as much training as I could so that I would never stand still. Sasuke, after the Uchiha Clan was destroyed, what did you do to distract yourself from the pain of losing everyone you loved?"
His gaze dropped again in contemplation, and realization, "I trained,"
Hisako nodded her head in understanding, "Training and studying was the only time I could run from the pain. So I choose to engulf myself in it,"
Hisako sighed and stood up from the bench, "Anyways, I'm proud of you Sasuke. Not only did you complete this mission with your team, but, you awakened your Sharingan again. That's something to celebrate. We'll have to do something to celebrate later though, okay?"
"Tsk, it's not something I care to celebrate," Sasuke replied, standing up, and putting his bandaged hands in his pockets.
Hisako shook her head, "We'll celebrate, but right now, I gotta go talk to a spirit,"
Sasuke's gaze shot up and he blinked in surprise. Hisako didn't give him time to question her as she giggled and waved at her cousin, running over to meet Neji who was standing in the treeline waiting for her. Neji had his Byakugan deactivated by the time she got to him and they both walked down the forested path leading to a hill that overlooked the village, giving them the perfect view of Hokage Mountain.
They both sat down, crossing their legs and resting their hands on their knees as they both began to breathe deeply.
"Let your mind go blank," Neji instructed her gently, "Let your mind take you where you need to go in your meditation, don't think too hard about it or you'll be too tense to get into a deep meditative state,"
Hisako took in a deep breath, centering herself and clearing her mind of all thoughts. Ever since the incident with the Yami Clan on their second mission, Hisako has asked Neji to help instruct her how to meditate better and they've done just that. Neji was a very calm instructor, helping Hisako to go at her own pace. It was totally different from when they'd spar together. Sparring would leave Hisako bruised and exhausted, but meditating with Neji's gentle instructions always helped Hisako feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
A few minutes into the meditation, Hisako found herself in a familiar meadow. The gentle breeze blew through the hundreds of wildflowers, their delicate petals dancing on the invisible wind as a beautiful floral aroma met her nose. Standing before her, was Lady Fuyumi.
Her blue eyes were kind and gentle as she regarded her descendent, and there was a motherly-like smile on her pale face.
"It's good to see you again, Hisako," Lady Fuyumi greeted.
Hisako smiled in return, "It's good to see you as well, Lady Fuyumi. This time, I have an idea for a jutsu I want to create,"
"Oh?"
Hisako explained the idea she brought up with Neji earlier that day, and Lady Fuyumi listened in fascination, her expression becoming serious in concentration every now and again as she mused over how something like that would even be possible.
"Hm, well," Lady Fuyumi murmured, "I can see how that can be possible. You're right that anyone can expel chakra from any one of their chakra points. But, that would be incredibly difficult," she paused, her finger and thumb resting on her chin, "however, you have an advantage. While you work on perfecting the ability to create chakra shields by expelling chakra from your chakra points, much like the Hyuga Clan does with their rotation, you can use the crystal necklace to help you with a more immediate solution,"
Hisako perked up, taking a step forward "Yes? What's the solution, M'Lady?"
"A trick that everyone who bears this necklace has is that they can utilize the crystal, and my chakra as a conduit, and as a way to store chakra until it's needed. With that being said, you can channel your chakra into the crystal in small amounts, so that when you need to expel chakra, you can expel it from the crystal, producing the effect of creating a chakra shield. It won't be as precise as the Hyuga Clan's rotation, but, it would offer you a little bit of protection, and teaching you how to store chakra into the crystal, and expel it, won't be too difficult."
Hisako wanted to cheer. She knew it would be possible to do something like that! And this way, she could protect herself better in battle. She could sustain less damage this way.
"Please! Will you teach me?" Hisako asked, forming fists in front of her as her green eyes brightened in anticipation.
Lady Fuyumi let out a small laugh, "Let's begin, shall we?"
The next few hours were spent training with Lady Fuyumi about her idea with the chakra shield. It took a long time to finally grasp the concept of storing chakra in her crystal necklace, and she was able to experiment with it a little while she was in Lady Fuyumi's small world inside the crystal. She just wasn't able to practice expelling the chakra. She also realized that in order to have enough chakra stored up, she would have to get used to constantly supplying the crystal necklace with a little bit of chakra at every moment of the day.
"Look at it like this, as your chakra reserves fill up, it caps off. Now, as a Shinobi, you can expand your chakra reserves. That's why a Genin doesn't have as much chakra as a Jonin. Typically you expand your chakra reserves through meditation and training. In this case, while you're constantly filling up the crystal, storing your chakra in it little by little, it will force your reserves to grow naturally. It'll be a supply-and-demand thing. The more you use, the more your body will produce. It'll take time, but, every time you feel that you have hit the cap of how much chakra your body can store, you need to put a little bit of chakra into the crystal. Eventually, it'll become second nature to you and you won't even realize you're doing it," Lady Fuyumi explained.
Hisako nodded her head, "I understand. Thank you for the training today, M'Lady,"
Lady Fuyumi nodded, "Oh, one last thing. Next time we meet, I want an update on how this idea of yours is coming along, but I am also going to teach you the Ice Canon Jutsu,"
"Ice Canon?" Hisako asked, tilting her head to the side.
Lady Fuyumi giggled, "You heard me right, now go on. Neji's waiting for you,"
Hisako blushed at the mention of Neji's name and was just about to shout a retort when she came out of the meditation.
When she opened her eyes, she was staring right at Neji. Hisako screamed in surprise, flinging herself back and Neji sat back, eyeing her warily as she returned the look.
"What the heck, Neji?" she exclaimed, placing her hand over her pounding heart.
"I could say the same! When I was done meditating, I waited for you, but an hour went by so I tried to bring you out of your meditative state and you wouldn't respond," Neji scolded, standing up, turning so his back was to her, his arms crossed over his chest again.
Hisako felt flustered, and couldn't find the words to say as she stood up, brushing herself off, "I-I had no idea," she stammered, "has it really been that long?"
A moment later, her stomach let out a long growl, and her shoulders slumped in embarrassment as her hand rested on her stomach. Yes. It's been that long. Neji let out a sigh.
"C'mon, let's go get dinner in the village tonight, it's probably too late to get dinner at the Hyuga Estate anyways," he told Hisako gently, turning to walk down the hill.
Hisako's cheeks flushed for a whole new reason as she followed Neji down the hill, practically running to keep up with him. Her mind reeled on the words he had just said. Neji and her, getting dinner in the village, together. They were going to go eat dinner together. Like a date. Could this be considered a date?
She didn't even realize she let out a small squeal at the thought, bringing her hands up to her face to hide her blushing cheeks. Neji turned to look at her over his shoulder, giving her an annoyed look before turning back around, ignoring her small outburst.
With Neji's annoyed expression, Hisako realized just how far her mind had traveled and cleared her throat, sobering herself up and getting all ideas of Neji and her dating out of her mind before stepping up to walk beside him, her hands clasped behind her back again. She couldn't think that way. Even though she could admit that she had fallen for this beautiful Hyuga standing beside her, even though she could say that her heart always fluttered at the mention of his name, and she replayed the moments when he held her in his arms or caught her from falling, her feelings for him would have to remain a secret.
This was something that she knew she had to keep locked deep in her heart. Not only was Neji dealing with his own personal issues with his family, and his hatred towards them, but, Hisako had to fight her own demons as well. Even if their demons weren't a problem, they still both had their responsibilities as Shinobi to the Leaf Village and her people. So to respect both of them, to respect what needed to be done, she would keep her feelings inside. She would continue to stand beside Neji as his teammate and comrade. And even if that's all she could be to him, that will be enough for her.
"So, where do we want to go for dinner?" Hisako asked as they walked past shops and restaurants.
"What about Yakiniku Q?" Neji asked, motioning to the BBQ restaurant that she's seen a lot of the Shinobi frequent.
"I've heard that place is really good! Let's go there," Hisako agreed.
They walked in, and a staff member sat them down at a table that had hot pots in the middle to cook their food. A few tables down, Team Asuma were already eating their dinner.
"Choji! You need to cut back on the food! This is ridiculous!" Ino scolded, with a groan.
A larger kid, with red swirls on his cheeks, slammed his hands down on the table, "How do you expect me to keep up my strength Ino?" Choji yelled back.
Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head, "What a drag,"
"C'mon you two, settle down," Asuma Sensei told Ino and Choji, holding up his hands, chopsticks in one hand, "we're here to celebrate a successful mission. So let's just have fun and eat good food. My treat,"
"Whoo! Thanks, Asuma Sensei," Choji shouted, throwing his arms up in the air.
Asuma Sensei let out a sigh himself, seeming almost worried about the bill that was to come with Choji's excessive eating habit.
Hisako giggled and turned her attention back to Neji, "it seems that the grade below us who just graduated is making good progress," she commented.
Neji nodded his head, "maybe they'll be skilled enough to join the upcoming Chuunin Exams," Neji replied.
"Oh! That's coming up? I know Guy Sensei held us back from joining the last one,"
"Yeah. I'm sure Guy Sensei will give us the go ahead to attend this Chuunin Exams," Neji replied as they ordered their food.
The Chuunin Exams. It was an exam that took place twice a year, it was usually held at one of the allied villages, and this year, it was the Leaf Village's turn to host. The village would be inviting guests from all of the allied villages, shinobi, and spectators alike, to join in on the Chuunin Exam festivities.
It was a time when the Genin could all show what they had learned over the past six months. It was to test their intelligence, strength, wisdom, and everything it took to be strong shinobi. The tests always changed each time, so no one knew exactly what to expect with each exam except for the proctors. But, the tests all proved to be incredibly difficult and were meant to push each and every participant to their absolute max.
In the end, however, whoever shows the most promise and skills, would move on to be promoted to Chuunin. Usually only a few, two or three, Genin were chosen to be promoted. But, this time around, Hisako was determined to be one of the Genin to move on to become Chuunin. Especially given the fact that she knew with Neji's genius, there was no way he wouldn't become Chuunin. So she was determined to follow him.