AN: Sorry all been very sick. There is an insanely huge update coming soon for Carapace, as in a probably going to be a three parter so that's why it is taking so long.

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"Did you bring it?" Ko asked offhandedly as he led me deeper into the grounds outside of the Hyuuga compound. Technically we were still in Hyuuga territory but these training grounds were much further in and meant for practicing survival and the likes while safely away from those who may steal the eyes of the untrained.

"Yes, and an advance for next lesson as well." The bag was on my back, wrapped in towels and other things were two bottles of Plum Wine (go figure that Ko had a fondness for what I still remembered as my slutty college drink.) He had been surprisingly easy to make a deal with and of course, when he asked for each lesson to be paid in a bottle of the good wine I had agreed with the caveat that my parents accepted it. I wasn't going to steal, not from my own clan. Luckily when I explained to my tou-san what I was up to and I was even getting supervision from an older Hyuuga he agreed to the trade.

As long as it was no more than once a week. I needed the time to refill my reserves after all.

So this was the fourth session. Ko had stayed annoyed and distant with me, typical Hyuuga indifference. But plum wine may have been cheap in my first life, it was not so much here. It was really more a sort of brandy than anything and actually a higher quality than any I had ever consumed but at my age it was a very fair trade for private tutoring from a chunin with the Byakugan and my tou-san had pledged to not bring it up to the rest of the family. We didn't need a repeat of gramps sticking things all over me for his entertainment.

One thing that was interesting with Ko being my 'sensei' for now, was how quiet we were. He didn't explain things to me because he would watch me, sometimes toss a jutsu or seven my way. At times he'd close of my chakra points so I could adjust to flowing around them or forcibly reopening them. He'd spar with me, just barely holding back enough that I didn't stop in my motions. This was the goal, to entirely and completely go right up until exhaustion and stop precisely before it would have made me pass out. If need be -and it always was- he would physically restrain me so I couldn't waste any more chakra.

I didn't need to hold anything back.

There's something...odd that happens when you know that you are fighting and training because it may be the difference between life and death and you also know someone will keep you from dying. You can pull out latent ferocity. Because I did not even like Ko and he did not me, we were also able to avoid that pitiful 'I don't really want to hurt you' bit. Without descending into actual loathing, it just helped. This was pure business and cold. It was in this I was learning to temper my well..my temperament. I was learning to have anger that was frigid to think through it. Anger was a tool if you could direct it.

My days vanished. It was a constant haze of different forms of training interspersed with sparkling moments with Lee, laughter with Kou-kun and Sakura-chan. My cousins and Ten-ten were all fireflies in the dark expanse of hazy evenings that had become my drive to live. To do more and be more.

The results took almost a year. A year of hard and painful work. Where my spars with Lee became more efficient and training with my mother and grandmother was strict. Ten-ten was allowed to sometimes join in though she was at a beginners level in comparison it did not deter her. I now had bells on my ankles and wrists, two longer locks that hit about collar level left out of my hair buns and with tiny bells braided in so every tinkling would let me know if I made a movement I had not intended to. That I could utterly suppress the sounds with my chakra, holding the clapper inside immobile with out really thinking about it, meant it did not drive everyone crazy.

Sparring with Neiji was the opposite of doing so with Lee who was always joyous about testing himself. It was in our blood and we loved the battle. Kou-kun and our training was playful and more about testing limits and creativity than anything more. With Neiji it was still full of rage and hatred and in his own way determined to fight his fate, for all he spoke of being unable to go against it. Neiji was sort of the poster child for denial really. Ko was apathy.

Each of them fought entirely differently.

Aside from my studies I began to feel the academy was almost holding me back. We weren't learning genjutsu yet, my Taijutsu in our class was only challenged by Neiji and Lee although Ten-ten always had a few surprises and almost always got in trouble for using weapons anyways. Tactics were fascinating but my favorite thing to do was to find all the ways they could go wrong which seemed to unnerve people.

And then it happened.

Our first genjutsu lesson.

It was meant to be a small thing, just a little bit here and some explanations though they didn't really expect us to do anything creative or well for that matter. Even the Uchiha and the Hyuuga rarely came up with anything of interest especially on the first attempt and so once they'd gloss over theory they spent all their time casting gentle ones on us so we learned how to dispel them.

Perhaps it was my chakra but I could always sense the minute trickling as it would try and lay upon me. I didn't need to say 'Kai' but I would just to avoid the attention. It would slick over my skin like the white of a cracked egg but then right off as if I was teflon.

My chakra was so peculiar that unless I was nigh to exhaustion Ko found out that the genjutsu's would simply not take affect. He actually expressed approval of that bit.

Two days later, after my first bit of compliment on my frankly strange chakra they taught us to cast a genjutsu.

We were all told to think of something, just visual as they didn't want us straining, and try one by one to put the class under it. We all had a signal that the teacher would give us so we weren't expecting it to try and help us along.

Until that point we were just to think, and practice the hand signs. Over and over and over.

One day it was my turn.

I'd done so much studying that I was ready for this. I was flat out cheating with my Before to help out but I knew that there were many senses. I was going for something simple, something I knew so intimately I could pull up memories and blanket everyone with them. Still, it had to for that reason not be something out of place like the sea side. Ideally something no one would question.

The teacher was handing out papers and lightly tapped my hand as we were all working on our tests.

My signal.

Pulling my hands together, aware that he'd already cast a genjutsu I was kept out of so no one saw my movements, I closed my eyes to focus.

My hands formed the shapes slowly. Carefully. I used each motion to build the illusion in my mind. Later we would need fewer hand signs but at this early stage they would help us.

I chose a common memory. I wanted this to work and so subtle and not something they'd question was best.

With the final hand seal I pushed my chakra out, picturing it as a soft delicate current in the air everyone would breathe and have drape around them. I wanted it to be unnoticed and so I knew it would be.

The sun was warm. Dappling in from the windows. It was quiet in the class room and there was a faint scent of sakura blossoms in the air because it was spring. The air was not yet cool, and soft chatter was going in as we waited for someone to come in and announce the special guest we were going to view.

My chakra flittered out as my mind paused before I knew what to have happen next but all around me there were confused expressions as the interlude cut off.

My head felt funky from doing it and I groaned, rubbing my temples.

"Exceptionally well done, Ziwei-chan." My teacher said softly.

Huh.

It worked.

Muahahahaa...it's experimenting time!