Chapter 6 – In my Nature

A/N: Not much to say today. Thanks to everyone who has been liked, favorited, and/or reviewed! It is good encouragement to keep writing!

-o X o-

After class, I booked it back to the forest atop Hokage Mountain. I didn't dare return home with the Uchiha book in my possession; I'd have to find somewhere else to hide it. But that could wait a bit- I had to at least crack it open first, skim through and see what kind of information the book contained. I found a secluded spot, a flat grassy grove amidst the trees, and sat down to read.

The book contained details on a wide variety of seals, collected by multiple authors, and was broken into three sections: Basic, Advanced, and Restricted. Most of the seals fell into the basic section: storage, explosives, some barriers, and knockout tags, for example, which were all common commodities at the general ninja equipment stores around the village. Even so, I realized that making them myself would save a pretty penny. The Advanced section contained some unexpected seals, ones that weren't mass produced or publicly available: elemental sealing scrolls, smoke release seals, various security and trap seals. Finally, there were the Restricted seals, each categorized as highly dangerous and with strict warnings to only be attempted by sealing experts. Some of the entries were fascinating, such as the 'General Principles for Applying Seals to the Human Body' and a forbidden last-resort seal that would forcefully increase the body's chakra production at the cost of tearing apart your chakra coils. But one seal in particular nearly made my heart stop.

Near the end of the book, tucked deep within the Restricted section, was an entry on a seal that I was intimately acquainted with.

The Caged Bird Seal

Notes by Noriaki Uchiha

A forbidden fuinjutsu applied to a target's forehead, used primarily by the Hyuuga clan.

Primary Purpose: Upon death, the eyes of the target are sealed and the brain is destroyed. Used to prevent enemies from taking doujutsu or secrets from the target post mortem.

Secondary Purpose: The blood of selected handlers can be incorporated into the seal to give the handlers authoritative power over the target. This function allows the handlers to remotely detonate the seal in the event of the target being captured by an enemy. The function also serves as a method of control, allowing the handlers to invoke excruciating pain in the mind of the target in the event of insubordination.

Notes and Recommendations: Despite the stated primary purpose of the seal above, it is the author's opinion that the true value of the seal comes in the control it provides the Hyuuga main family over the branch family. Alternative seals could accomplish the same primary purpose without incorporating the secondary effect. Highly advise against using this seal in the Uchiha clan for any reason. Application of this seal would lead to widespread resentment and division within the clan, and the stated primary purpose of the seal is less applicable to the Sharingan than to other doujutsu. For further information, see notes on the impracticality of Sharingan transplants to non-Uchiha in the appendix, page 116.

The entry proceeded to explain how to create and apply the seal, as observed by a Uchiha who had somehow witnessed the process take place and memorized it with his Sharingan. As interesting as the information was, it had no details on how to break, remove, or even modify a seal that had already been applied. Still, having the detailed formula of how the seal was constructed and condensed would be a tremendous aid in figuring out how to break it in the future, when I had a better understanding of the general theories of fuinjutsu.

Taking a deep breath, I closed the book and decided to search for a good hiding spot. I would start on the basic seals soon enough, but my immediate concern was finding a place to store it that no one would ever find. Using my Byakugan, I was able to find a tree a little deeper in the forest with a hollow trunk. I tucked the book away, resolving to bring some kind of protective case for it as soon as possible. I had yet to see anyone else using this particular area of forest, so I figured it was about as good a spot as I could find within Konoha proper.

It still felt like leaving a great treasure unprotected, but I couldn't bring it home, and couldn't entrust anyone else to hang on to it for me. So, deciding to not waste more time, I started heading back home. It was getting late, but by hurrying, I made it to the Hyuuga compound just before sundown, and took a more leisurely pace through the grounds to my own house.

My mother was home when I arrived, and she reheated some leftovers for a late dinner while I pulled out some academy homework to work on. For the most part, academy work was incredibly easy. They still had to teach basic maths and science, subjects in which I was well beyond the elementary curriculum, and even history and other topics specific to this ninja life were simple to understand so far. I was top of the class in paperwork grades, but I didn't get far on today's assignment before a shrill siren startled me.

"What is that?" I asked, dropping my pen and rushing to the window. The noise was coming from the outside the clan compound, but it was still easily audible from here. Activating my Byakugan, I could see several of the other clansmen looking attentive or gearing up for combat.

"That's the village alarm system," my mother answered. She retrieved a weapon pouch from a hidden compartment in our dish cupboard before joining me, Byakugan active, gazing out the window. She frowned as she listened. "The alarm pattern is a code- there is a hostile enemy intruder within the walls, but current orders are to stay in position, but be on alert."

The alarm continued for the next two hours, and when it ended, it required conscious effort to calm my nerves and return to my academy work. Despite my mother's reassurance that everything was fine now, I didn't miss the fact that she occasionally activated her own Byakugan for a quick sweep of the surroundings. I decided to do the same.

It wasn't until the next morning that we discovered the cause of the alarm. Nearly the entire Uchiha clan was wiped out in a single night. People said that Itachi had just snapped, went nuts from the clan pressure. The entire village seemed to be in mourning for the lost clan.

Only Sasuke survived, at least physically. He didn't come to class for a few weeks, and when he did, he was a different person. He was broody, caustic, and cold. If anyone tried to approach him, he would shut them down with an icy glare.

But even so, every time I saw Sasuke, Itachi's last words returned to me, sharp in my mind. Be a good friend to Sasuke. I didn't answer him at the time, but I swore to it now.

I will.

-o X o-

I carefully wrote out the Kanji for 'blast' in the middle of the tag, making sure to copy the seal perfectly from the Uchiha book. I was once again in the forest atop the Hokage monument- far, far away from any prying eyes of my clan. I smirked a bit as I thought about what their reaction would be to this. Learning fuinjutsu? Outlawed. From the Uchiha handbook? Double outlawed. The elders may have killed me on the spot if they caught me with this book.

After six weeks of careful study, I had a good grip on storage seals, and had moved on to step two of fuinjutsu: the exploding tag. For better or for worse, the book was primarily practical in application. It didn't have much in the way of Fuinjutsu theory, and I wouldn't dare try altering any of the seals or making my own designs, but it was easy enough to copy the brushstrokes to make my own replicas of the seals described. At least with storage seals, the consequences of messing up a brushstroke was minor; usually just turning the seal into a dud. It was, obviously, a bit riskier to draw my own exploding seals, but I had to start eventually, and it wasn't like I had a sensei to teach me or oversee my work.

The book had several examples of exploding seals, the one I was currently copying being the simplest. Ignite the seal with chakra, and the tag would burn for three seconds before exploding. As straightforward as an exploding tag could get.

I finished my first attempt, and tied it to the loop end of a kunai with a piece of wire. Time to set off some fireworks. I ignited the tag, and let the kunai fly. It struck a tree about forty yards away, and exploded, causing the entire tree to collapse. I grinned madly. It was perfect.

I got to work on making a few more, mostly for the practice. We didn't use exploding tags in the academy (for good reason; imagining Naruto and Kiba with those things made me shudder), so I didn't have much use for them myself at the moment. People would definitely start asking questions if I tried to sell them anywhere, too. I didn't want to risk bringing them home, and storing live exploding tags in a random part of the forest seemed a bit irresponsible and dangerous. I would probably just light them off for fun somewhere once I was done. No, that could draw attention, too. It's a shame, but I would probably just have to just tear up my hard work once I was done.

After a few hours of the repetitive process, my hand began to cramp and I decided to call it a day. It was slow going- I didn't want to make a mistake on an explosive tag- but I had nearly thirty tags as the fruit of my morning's labor. I sighed, then tore them all to bits, watching as my work fluttered away on the wind. It was a good time to take lunch, and I headed back down towards the village. The Bodacious Boar, an Akimichi owned barbeque restaurant, had a good chicken bowl lunch deal on Saturdays. I set a mental course for the restaurant, salivating at the prospect.

I ordered two bowls to go, giving the chef a thank you and a wave before setting out again, this time for the Uchiha district. Sasuke had been withdrawn and moody, refusing to talk to anyone publicly, even me. But he still came to class, and continued to sit next to me, even if it was just because he knew that I wouldn't bother him and try to get him to talk. But I wasn't going to abandon him to complete isolation. Even if he didn't want to talk, there were other ways to show I cared for him, that he was still my friend. Today, I was taking a page from the Akimichi playbook, and showing my sentiment with food.

When I got to the Uchiha district, I activated my Byakugan to search him out. I hadn't been here before, and didn't know where his house was. As it turned out, I didn't need to know, because I spotted him sitting on a dock overlooking a lake. He held his knees to chest, resting his chin on them and looking down into the water.

I stood and watched him for a moment. He didn't move, just sitting and watching the water ripple, staring into his own reflection. His eyes looked tired and miserable. I took a deep breath, and started walking towards him. I intentionally walked a bit clumsily, loudly, so that he would notice my approach.

Upon turning and seeing me, his face went from melancholy to anger, then forced indifference, and he turned back to water. I walked to the end of the dock and sat down next to him, setting his chicken bowl between us. I didn't say anything, and just started eating.

I was about halfway through my own bowl when Sasuke picked up his and started eating as well.

The lake was beautiful, reminding me a bit of the river that wound through our own clan grounds. The lake wasn't finely manicured like everything in our compound, but it lent a natural beauty to the Uchiha grounds. We both finished our lunch and continued to sit in silence, simply observing the tranquil surroundings.

Eventually, Sasuke broke the silence.

"I'm going to kill him."

His voice was soft, hoarse. Slightly trembling. The voice of a seven-year-old boy.

"Did he say anything to you?" I asked.

Sasuke nodded. "That… that I had to hate him. And use that hate to become strong enough to kill him. And I will."

I swallowed. "Why?" I asked slowly. "Why does he want you to hate and kill him?"

Sasuke grit his teeth. "To measure his ability. He said… that I wasn't worth it." He took a sharp breath. "That he wants me to fight him when I'm stronger. To prove his strength again. And I will. But I'll be stronger. I'll avenge them." The conviction in his voice was stronger now.

We sat in silence for another moment before I answered. "I don't know what happened to him," I said, switching tracks a bit. A pained expression crossed Sasuke's face. He must have wondered the same thing a thousand times over the past several weeks. "Either he was faking his whole life until that moment," I noticed Sasuke's breath hitch, "or something happened to him. Sickness, or brain damage, or something."

"There's no way…" Sasuke said slowly, breathlessly. "That man… he couldn't have been injured. He couldn't have been damaged."

I hummed. "I'm not so sure."

Sasuke looked at me, and his eyes were haunted. He had thought through this over and over and over, and he must have come to the life-shattering conclusion that Itachi had never loved him, that it had all been an act. It left him broken, confused, and angry, and he was channeling it into hatred and desire for revenge. In a twisted way, perhaps even this came out of his love from his older brother. Even now, he didn't doubt the wisdom and truth of his brother's words- that the only way to get strong enough would be to hate him, to devote himself completely to the goal of vengeance. He still believed that Itachi's advice were the words to live by. And he still wanted to measure up to his brother's expectations.

I could tell him the truth. I had thought about it, frequently over the past few weeks. But I knew Sasuke wouldn't be able to handle that information. He was still only seven. If he said anything, he would become a loose end. Danzo doesn't allow loose ends. I couldn't tell him, for his own sake.

And for mine. A part of me knew, deep down, that I was afraid for my own life as well. Maybe Sasuke could keep it secret, maybe not. But I couldn't make myself take that risk, trust him with this information. It was selfish, and it bothered me. But even if I wouldn't tell the whole truth, I could say something.

"I think he really loved you," I said after a minute of silence. Sasuke's breath hitched again, and he tucked his face back into his knees, not looking at me. No more sound came out, but his body was wracked with sobs. "I don't know what happened to him," I continued, "I don't know if he got sick, or had a mental breakdown, or what. But from what I perceived, he truly loved you. If you really want to kill him, that's up to you. Maybe you need to, in order to avenge your clan. But you don't need to hate the brother you loved to kill whatever it is he has become. For one, that's not the only way to get strong enough to beat him. And two, I'm certain that the man that you hate and want to kill is not the same Itachi nii that you love."

We continued to sit in near silence for several minutes, as Sasuke continued to weep and process everything he was feeling yet again.

"It was real," he said softly, timidly. I heard him take a deep breath and swallow. "It was real."

-o X o-

That evening, I was walking past the main branch household again when I noticed Neji practicing his katas in a grassy field outside the training compound. He noticed me as well, and smirked.

"Tedashi. I hear you've been struggling at the academy," he said smugly.

I frowned. We were about halfway through our first year by now, and I had been doing quite well, in my opinion. I aced all the written exams, and my throwing marks were nearly top of the class (second only to Sasuke, and just barely). My only weak point had been taijutsu, which was unusual coming from a Hyuuga. But my style offered no offense for someone without the Jyuuken, which I still couldn't use, so sparring was difficult. All the other clan kids (and Naruto, who was kind of a clan kid anyway) could defeat me pretty easily. Sometimes a non-clan kid beat me too. I hadn't been too bothered, since I figured it was only a matter of time before I figured out the offensive component of my taijutsu.

"I don't know what you're on about," I replied, trying to sound confident. "I've been doing fine."

Neji shook his head with a condescending smile. "Maybe I just shouldn't have expected you to have standards," he said, getting me to scowl. "The academy released the midyear scores today. I saw yours while Hiashi sama was reading it. Rather disappointing, honestly, and we didn't even expect that much from you to begin with. But to be incapable of using the Jyuuken at all? That's pitiful. The Hyuuga have a reputation to maintain in taijutsu, you know. Not everyone can be top of their class, but the fact that you were below average in yours is just pathetic."

My scowl deepened. "Yeah, well, not every class is loaded with clan heirs. I heard your class has a kid that can't use chakra at all. No wonder you're at the top," I shot back. I felt a bit bad at taking a shot at Lee like this, but damn if I wasn't feeling defensive.

It was enough to make Neji grimace. "That's one failure, whom I'm sure will be weeded out shortly. But that's beside the point. Let's spar. I want to show you how a real Hyuuga fights. Maybe you'll learn something, like the Jyuuken. Or maybe you'll see that you're hopeless and you should just drop out now. Perhaps you can go to the Servant Institute instead, and learn how to pour proper tea for Hinata sama."

I grit my teeth. That wasn't even a real thing, but it still irked me. The talented branch family members would be given body guard duties or other mission related roles within the clan, while those who couldn't fight were relegated to lesser servile positions. I didn't want to be one of them. "Fine, you're on," I said, feeling the heat in my skin. "When and where?"

"Right here, right now," Neji said with a smirk. "It's just a spar, afterall."

I nodded, tossing my bag aside and dropping into a ready stance. Neji did the same. "What are the rules?" I asked.

"Taijutsu only," Neji stated. His smile grew sharper. "We'll go until I say it's over."

Without further warning, he ran at me, throwing rapid jabs that I could barely keep up with. He was so fast… faster than Sasuke, than Kiba, than anyone in my class. I kept up as best I could, and I was no slouch in defensive maneuvers, but it only took about ten seconds for him to score a strike on my left arm, closing off a tenketsu. It felt like static electricity jolting down my arm, radiating outward from the point he hit as my chakra sputtered and spasmed. I jumped back and shook out my arm. It felt funny, but still usable. One closed tenketsu wasn't enough to end it.

Neji seemed pleased with the successful strike. "I see the reports are true," he said with a sigh. "What are we to do with you, a failure in taijutsu, not worthy of your Hyuuga name? What good is Hyuuga without the Jyuuken?"

I narrowed my eyes, and leapt forward, trying an offensive volley. It was a mistake. With lightning reflexes, Neji easily parried four jabs in a row before I revealed an opening, at which point he capitalized. Dipping under a high jab, he twisted and crouched, striking upwards at my extended right arm a half dozen times in a flurry of motion before completing his spin and kicking me in the stomach. I was knocked off my feet and onto my back, hard.

I hopped back up, but my right arm was useless now and burning with pain. Tenketsu didn't close naturally. To have them forced shut by the Jyuuken was incredibly painful, even after having experienced the sensation several times when sparring with my mother over the years. It was like building up a pain resistance to sticking your finger in an electrical socket- no one wanted to do it enough to see if it worked eventually.

I held up my left arm defensively. Neji smirked again, and darted forward. This time, it was no contest. He easily batted away my good arm, closed several tenketsu, and delivered several more jabs to my body before I collapsed backwards under the onslaught.

I lay on my back, still spasming slightly from the blows to my chest. My lungs ached, and it was hard to breathe. Neji stood over me, looking down impassively. "You, Tedashi, are a failure," he said coldly.

He walked away, leaving me in the grass. It was half an hour before I felt well enough to move again, though both arms were still useless, and my breaths were shallow. I clumsily rose to my feet and limped home. My mother was bustling around the kitchen, but dropped what she was doing when she saw me.

"Tedashi! What happened?" she asked, rushing over to me. She activated her Byakugan and observed my arms, before injecting her own chakra to clear up some of the lingering blocks. Even the unblocking of tenketsu was mildly painful, each touch feeling like a bee sting as the tenketsu popped open again, followed by the cooling relief of regular chakra flow.

"It was nothing, just a spar," I said mildly, trying to underplay it.

She forced my last tenketsu open, and looked at me disbelievingly. She held the silence for a long moment. I was expecting her to push for more details, but instead, she just sighed. "You should rest, your arms will sting for a few minutes longer. Still no luck with the Jyuuken?"

I looked away. My mother had been helping me practice every morning and evening that she was not on a mission, but to no avail. I was disappointing her. That hurt, nearly as much as Neji's barbed words. "No, no luck. I'm sorry, I'll… I'll try harder. I know I can do it."

She shook her head and cut me off. "No. If you cannot do it, it is certainly not for lack of effort," she said, making me feel a little better. "I've been researching other Hyuuga who couldn't use the Jyuuken, and found a couple possibilities of what could be going on with you." I perked up, a nauseous wave of anxiety curling in my stomach. So, there was a precedent for this in my clan. My mother's voice was carefully neutral; were any of the possibilities good?

"The most common are the Hyuuga that go into the medical field," she said. That was interesting. I didn't particularly want to be a medic, but I could see it. My defense was more than adequate; I could see incoming threats and protect myself while healing injured allies in the field. It wouldn't have been my top choice, but I could still be an admirable and useful ninja as a medic.

"However," my mother continued, a bit reluctantly, "most of the Hyuuga who go into the medical field actually have perfect Jyuuken strikes when they are young, due to their excellent chakra control. By practicing healing jutsu, their chakra softens over time, to the point that the most dedicated Hyuuga medics can no longer use the Jyuuken at all. Your case is different. Your chakra control is well above average, but not as fine as most who enter the medical field. If you choose to be a medic, I think you would only be a mediocre one at best."

I frowned. If I had a natural proclivity for medical jutsu, I would have seriously considered it. To be merely a mediocre medic? Maybe worth learning a bit on the side, but not as my main focus. I made a mental note to look up some intro to medical jutsu books later. "What are the other possibilities?" I asked, and my mother continued.

"There are a few cases of mixed blood Hyuuga who do not inherit the Byakugan, and therefore cannot use the Jyuuken," she said. "That is the main reason why our clan promotes intermarrying; the offspring of two Byakugan carriers always inherits the Byakugan, but the children of mixed marriages only have about a 50-50 chance. Since our clan prides itself on our eyes above all else, they prefer to take no chances with their children not inheriting our doujutsu, other consequences be damned. However, you do have the Byakugan. Your eyes are quite good for your age, so I don't believe this is your problem either," she stated.

I nodded. "Ok. So, are there any more possibilities?"

"Yes, I found one other case, which is easily tested," she said. "The Jyuuken, as you know, is all about solidifying your chakra, making it rigid and firm so you can force an enemy's tenketsu shut. Some chakra natures more readily lend themselves to this transformation. The Hyuuga are usually earth or water nature, both of which can easily be solidified with focus and control. Fire and wind are not quite as easy, but still workable. Lightning, on the other hand, is terribly unstable by nature. I could only find one recorded case of a lightning natured Hyuuga, and he also failed to make the Jyuuken. He became a career genin, due to his lack of offensive capacity." She pulled out a piece of chakra paper. "I hope this is not the case for you, but it is a possibility, and easily tested. Please set this paper on your palm, and focus your chakra into it."

I took the paper delicately. My heart was beating faster now. Four out of the five chakra natures would be fine, just not lightning. Not lightning. Not lighting, I mentally chanted. "What will it do when I channel chakra into it?" I asked. I could remember some of the results, but I figured I would react one way or another when I saw how the paper responded. Might as well have an excuse as to why I knew.

"If you are lightning nature, it will crinkle up," she explained. "If it does anything else, I'll explain it afterwards."

I nodded, holding my palm flat and upwards with the chakra paper resting on top. I took a deep breath, and focused, channeling chakra into my hand, then into the paper.

Immediately, the paper crinkled and contracted. I looked at it angrily and swallowed hard, holding back the curses that came to mind for my mother's sake. I saw my mother's shoulders slump.

"Well, this is… unfortunate. But it's fine, Tedashi. We'll figure out how to work around it," she said softly, trying to be reassuring.

It didn't keep Neji's words from returning to my mind.

What good is a Hyuuga who cannot use the Jyuuken?