Kurenai slid the key into the lock and twisted it. "Make yourself at home," she said as she swung the door open, revealing a nice and tidy space within. She flicked on the light and slid her shoes off at the entrance, relishing the feel of cool hardwood beneath feet made weary and achy after another exhausting day. "I've got dinner on the stove that I'll heat up real quick. But first, I'll show you to your room..."
The child by the door had not yet taken her shoes off, but was staring dumbfoundedly at the lights instead. She jolted upon realizing Kurenai had her eyes on her and smiled apologetically. "Oh, sorry...so I take my shoes off?"
"Yes."
"Okay..." She reluctantly slid her feet out of those long boots of hers – such a strange fashion, those pointed toes! – and stepped cautiously onto the hardwood.
"It's right this way," Kurenai said, leading her through the entryway into a hall that passed the kitchen and living room and split into two rooms. One was Kurenai's of course, and the other was for the child. "It's a bit bare now, but you can always decorate it later. At the moment, I've only got a futon for you, but I do have an old bed I took apart some time ago. If I can find the tools for it, I'll put it back together."
"That's fine. Thank you..." The child entered to deposit the bag of essentials that had been given to her by Hayate, but when Kurenai turned on the light, she spun around in surprise. "Wh-what? Here, too?"
"Well...you can turn the lights on and off in all the rooms by flicking a switch..." Kurenai demonstrated, turning the lights off and back on again.
"You don't have to light candles or lamps? You just flick a switch?" The child let go of her bag without a second thought and started trying out the switch for herself. Off, on. Off, on. "How does that work?"
"Electricity," Kurenai supplied, though she hoped she wouldn't have to explain anything further. Damn if I know how it works specifically.
"Lightning?" the girl gasped. "You use lightning to light up your house?"
"Not to that extent," Kurenai corrected, "but in controlled amounts. Enough to put in the light bulbs, for instance, or as currents in the wall plugs."
Kurenai next showed her the bathroom. "Feel free to use my shampoo and conditioner. I got you a new toothbrush; it's the orange one in the cup. Go ahead get washed, and I'll have dinner ready as soon as you're done."
"Okay."
Having nothing else to attend to, Kurenai went to the kitchen to heat up the food. But she hadn't turned the stove on for longer than three minutes when an uncertain voice called out to her from the hall. "Um...Miss Kurenai?"
"Yes?" Kurenai called back.
"How do I take a bath when there's no water?"
Funny, the water bill had already been paid for the month. Don't tell me she doesn't know how indoor plumbing works, too? The kunoichi left the pan of fried rice on the stove and walked down to the bathroom. "The water isn't working?" she asked, and found the girl standing in the same spot since she'd left her.
"There's no water at all..."
Kurenai reached over and pulled on the shower handle. Water gushed abundantly from the spout like a generous rainfall. "You have to pull on the handle like this. Then if you want to adjust the temperature, switch it this way for hot and cold...this is how you shut it off..." She couldn't believe it, but she spent the next few minutes teaching a twelve-year-old how to operate the shower, sink, and toilet. She threw in quick instructions on how to use shampoo and conditioner for good measure, then rushed back to her cooking before the rice could get burnt.
Dinner proceeded with no interesting events. The child, newly dressed in pajamas, ate at the table with Kurenai in a quiet and polite manner. Her eyes stayed fixated on her bowl, as if nothing else existed in this moment beyond its contents.
Strange, Kurenai thought. Didn't Inoichi say she lived in some wealthy place? Why does she act as though she's never seen a home with electricity and running water before? The behavior reminded her of the astonished way she had reacted to the screencast of Lord Jao. Or when he said it was a 'traditional' style place, he really meant it in every sense of the word...?
"So, Sacora," Kurenai spoke up, trying to encourage some conversation. "Tomorrow you'll be meeting with an Academy teacher."
The child paused and looked up at Kurenai. I should really stop thinking of her that way, Kurenai sighed. She has a name that I know of, for god's sake. It was hard letting go of that side of herself though, that side that had dealt with the reports and the missions more than the actual people behind them. In a way, it helped to distance her disgust with the cult; she couldn't feel affected if she never felt personal. It would probably be easier to adjust it though, now that they would share the same living space.
"Why?"
"It's not going to be anything extreme," Kurenai assured her. "He just wants to see your firebending. And maybe we'll run some tests with my genin..."
"Oh, okay." But Kurenai could tell that Sacora was more confused than concerned, and from the way she had reacted during the interrogation, Kurenai wondered if she even knew what genin were in the first place?
"He'll also explain anything that's confusing to you," Kurenai added. "He's good at that, being a teacher and all."
She wanted to add something about her genin being around the same age, but found the words dying on her tongue as Sacora went back to eating wordlessly. This is Hinata all over again...The shy young Hyuga eventually warmed up to her, but the quiet period in between was unsettling nonetheless. To go through something similar again was rather uncomfortable, but she had agreed to this, hadn't she? Just as she'd agreed to take on a genin team.
I probably shouldn't say more about it, anyway, Kurenai thought. She's taken in a lot of information today. I'll bring her to Iruka in the morning and see how it goes.
Sacora slipped into the futon with a grateful stretch of her legs. The puffy quilt was soft, comforting, and warm. It was everything she could want at the moment. Burying her face into the pillow, she closed her eyes and sought her much-needed sleep despite the uncomfortable broiling in her stomach at this sudden difference in reality.
Different. Miss Kurenai's home smelled different, felt different. Even the basic act of taking a bath was different. Everything about this place was...different. Alarmingly so. The thought made Sacora feel small and vulnerable all over again.
Oh, that's right. I'm Sacora now...not Fan. That was new, too. She never thought she'd be able to use, much less hear that name again. She'd always dreamed it would be through some miracle that brought her back to the Water Tribe, though, not here in this...I think they call it 'Konoha'. And was it really a village? It seemed too big to be one.
How long would it be before she regained any sense of normalcy? How many years would she end up passing here, and would she have to learn these people's ways, just as she had when she first came into Father's house? What were Chuni and Father, Baojun and Xiuhua, even Lady Yan, thinking now? As hard as it was to admit, she actually missed Lady Yan's cold glances. At least I knew where I was. At least I knew Father was still there if I needed him. Even if he had to be away in another corner of the world...at least it would be in the same one as me.
Because what else was this place, if not another world? For such a large country with inventions like talking images and lightning-powered homes, she surely would have heard of it in her history lessons by now. But no, it was a completely foreign, almost fictitious place, suddenly made real by some cruel twist of fate.
She shut her eyes tight against the unfairness of it all and fought back the tears that threatened to spill past her quivering lids.
I should never have accepted that stupid scroll. Never.
"So Kurenai, Asuma, and Inoichi recovered a child from their reconnaissance mission...who supposedly comes from a foreign place with, er, strange abilities...and I'm the one you want to examine her? Did I hear you correctly, Lord Hokage?"
"I don't think I stuttered," the old man rebuffed.
"I apologize," Iruka had been quick to add, "but that job...shouldn't it be for someone in the Hyuga clan? Or some sort of sensor? I have students to teach, and I simply can't take a day off on such short notice."
"I understand," Sarutobi sighed. "But I'm getting reports that she's awfully sensitive right now, and observation under a Hyuga clan member would unnecessarily scare her. I just need you to compile notes on how bending compares to basic jutsu; Kurenai is taking care of her at the moment, so if you want a Hyuga's observation, you can start with Hinata."
"'Bending'? Is that what it's called?"
"So say Inoichi and Hayate's reports. I'll give you copies since you seem skeptical. Just do me this favor tomorrow, and I promise you that future requests won't come so suddenly."
And that was how he ended up here at six in the morning, drinking his coffee amidst the quiet of one of the village's training grounds instead of the familiar atmosphere of his classroom. Luckily, Daikoku Funeno agreed to sub for him, so he wouldn't be too missed (inasmuch as his pop quizzes were concerned). It seemed an annoyance at first, this break in his routine; then as he settled down on a log and skimmed through his copy of the reports, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.
Inoichi's came first, and had it not been framed in the context of a mission report, Iruka could have sworn it was an outline for a fantasy novel. The girl was noted to be lacking in mental blocks or manipulation, offering about the same amount of resistance and accessibility as the average unskilled civilian, so according to Inoichi that meant what he had seen was completely accurate. But even his closest peers seemed to doubt the report's credence, for the next few documents Iruka read through were dismissive of her origins. The mysterious scroll found at the scene only served to wrinkle the Intelligence Force's noses further, for its formula was, quote, "absolute rubbish". They were mostly concerned with the circumstances of her discovery and bits of evidence that suggested she may have had something to do with all the destruction. The only things ordered in that period of time were blood and urine samples while she lay unconscious at the hospital, the results of which were still pending.
Then came her interrogation. It was what had sent the Hokage's administration in the frenzied rush responsible for Iruka's absence from the Academy. He supposed it made sense, for hearing or reading about her and her people's abilities was vastly different than seeing it in person. Had any of it been taken seriously from the start, he would have been summoned far earlier for this sort of thing.
With plenty more scheduled for her, I don't doubt. The Lord Hokage was an all around ethical man, but there would be many who'd be interested in further insight on her physiology. Perhaps such a thing was being discussed even now...
Good lord. For her sake, I hope nothing extreme pops up.
As if on cue, the sound of approaching footsteps made Iruka raise his head. Before him was the shapely outline of Team Eight's sensei, walking silently in conjunction with a girl dressed in overwhelmingly red hues. Unlike the young girls of their village, she was conservatively clothed from head to toe, the only visible skin being her head and hands; and speaking of toes, her boots had the oddest, almost comical emphasis to them. He tried not to stare too much as they neared.
"Kurenai!" he called out jovially, rising from the log. "Long time no see. How's it been?"
"It's been good," she returned. "Team Eight's doing well. I'd send regards on their behalf, but they'll be coming to meet you shortly." Her crimson eyes then flashed to the child beside her. "Sacora, this is Iruka-sensei. He's the teacher who'll be observing you today."
The girl formed a fist and placed an upright hand above it before bowing. "Good morning, Master Irukasensei," Sacora greeted.
Iruka choked back a laugh. "Ah, no, 'sensei' already means teacher," he corrected. "It's not a part of my name."
She straightened hesitantly and blinked. "Oh...so...it's a title after your name?"
"Well, yes. Didn't you call Kurenai-sensei the same...?"
He sent a questioning glance Kurenai's way, but she was already half-turning to leave the grounds. "I'll leave you both to it," she said, and Iruka swore she sent him a smirk before blinking away.
...right. Explaining things was his job now. He rolled up the reports and stuffed them into a pocket, mentally preparing for the additional task ahead of him. "So, Sa...uh, cora. I hear you're not very familiar with our village."
She shook her head.
"Well...we are Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village. Now, when you hear of a 'hidden village', it refers to a village run by shinobi." He stopped her with an outstretched hand the moment her mouth opened. "I know what you're going to ask; what is a shinobi? I'm sorry if Hayate didn't explain it to you well yesterday. There's no easy way to describe it, you see. Simply put, shinobi – or ninja, the terms are interchangeable – are warriors who utilize chakra to perform special techniques called jutsu. But more than that, shinobi are the lifeblood of their villages and countries; hidden in the shadows, they work tirelessly to maintain peace and order. Because it is not the shinobi way to garner attention, no; through the Will of Fire, we–"
"Actually," she meekly interrupted, "I wanted to ask why Konoha is considered a village when it seems rather big..."
Oh...
"B-but I was wondering what shinobi were, too!" she quickly reassured him.
Iruka chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I suppose it depends on your definition of village. Konoha started pretty small in the beginning, so if anything 'village' is a moniker referring to older times. Anyway...I'm sure you know by now that the Land of Fire is ruled by a Feudal Lord? No? Well, now you do. Hidden villages such as ours are lead separately by Kage, titled according to the country. For instance, Hokage in the Land of Fire, Mizukage in the Land of Water, and etcetera. Which brings me to the shinobi ranks. There are three basic titles: jonin, chunin, and genin. Potential shinobi start out as Academy students; then when they graduate, they become genin, or junior ninja, and are assigned to a three-man team under the supervision of a jonin sensei."
"So that's what Miss Kurenai was talking about when she mentioned genin," Sacora remarked. "I mean, Kurenai-sensei."
"That's right! And after a certain period of time, when the genin have reached a level of maturity in their abilities endorsed by their senseis, they take exams to become chunin, or journeyman ninja. They're entrusted with higher level missions and can go alone without supervision. Most shinobi in the village are chunin; I'm one, for example, although I don't go on missions due to being a teacher. It isn't unless we take a jonin exam or if enough villagers and the Kage deem us fit that we can be promoted to jonin. Jonin are highly experienced shinobi who serve as military captains; they are a step below to becoming Kage, so you can imagine that the one chosen to be Kage must be the strongest in the village."
Her contemplative expression made Iruka wonder whether any of what he'd said had registered with her. It wasn't often that he had to give a thorough explanation on villages and shinobi, after all. Most Academy students came in already knowing the basic principles.
"Don't worry if it's too much to take in," Iruka assured her after a while. "I imagine it would be the same for me if you had to describe everything about the benders." Seeing her perk up in response, he gave her a friendly smile. "If there's anything else you want to know, don't hesitate to ask."
She seemed surprised at first by the gesture, but gradually warmed enough to give him a bashful smile of her own. "Thank you."
He felt pleased with himself at that and decided he had been rather helpful, after all. This is better than I expected. I'd say we're off to a good start, Iruka thought confidently.
"Sweet, no morning training or missions!"
"Calm down, Kiba. It's only Hinata who'll be doing anything..."
"Hey, sometimes doing nothing is better than doing anything. Even you have to admit that you've been sick to death of our 'missions'." This, emphasized with air quotes.
"Which we'll just go back to doing again? I don't really see your point."
"Aw, shut up, Shino! God, you're such a party pooper."
"O-oh, but maybe you'll get to do something, too...Kiba...Shino..."
"I doubt it," Kurenai intervened, slightly amused as always by her team's quirky interactions. "And stop complaining, Kiba. Those missions help build character."
"Ugh, you always say that," he groaned. "'Build character?' More like free labor for the Hokage..."
Kurenai smirked at that, but offered no response. Note to self: enroll him in twice the D-rank missions when this is over. "So...any thoughts?"
They exchanged glances with each other before looking back at their sensei. "The whole thing smells of a hoax," Shino replied frankly. "The question is why anyone would use such a ridiculous backstory as cover. There's just no way you gained the most comprehensive lead on the cult in months, only to have it end at her and some nonsensical scroll with no cult member in sight."
"Perhaps they planned it," Hinata softly suggested.
"And how come you never told us about this weird cult before?" Kiba added, rather reproachfully. Akamaru let out a yip from his spot in the boy's coat, as if to voice his own concerns.
"Not all my missions are free to discuss," Kurenai reminded them.
"But something's changed," Shino pointed out, "since you're telling us now."
She couldn't argue with that. The Lord Third had allowed her to give them the context when he said Hinata's Byakugan could be used on Sacora. The problem had come directly into the village now, and it would do no one any good to be ignorant of the potential threat that might follow her; "Still, you all should be discreet about it."
"Of course, sensei," Kiba affirmed. "We know better than that." Hinata nodded and Shino adjusted his glasses with a little push, which Kurenai had come to read as a gesture of agreement.
"You'd better," Kurenai warned, and shot out a hand to ruffle Kiba's head.
"Agh – hey!"
"Not my fault you left your hood down, Kiba."
They entered the Third Training Ground shortly after and navigated to the spot where Kurenai had last left Iruka and Sacora. She supposed she wasn't too surprised to find the pair talking pleasantly with each other, Iruka seated on his log and Sacora by his feet as though listening to a story. Kurenai could even see a smile lighting up the young girl's face. He's done a better job than me. Lord Hokage certainly didn't choose wrong.
Iruka noticed them first and rose from the log. "Kiba, Hinata, Shino! Long time no see!"
"Hey Iruka-sensei!" Kiba waved.
"H-hello, Iruka-sensei," Hinata greeted.
Shino, passive as always, nodded once in Iruka's direction. "Iruka-sensei."
"How are you all doing? I hope you haven't been giving your new sensei too much trouble! Especially you, Kiba."
"Hey, I'll have you know I'm one of the strongest on the team!" Kiba bit back with a wolfish smile.
"Strongest doesn't always mean the best, Kiba," Shino retorted.
Sacora turned around at the noise and jumped to attention at the sight of Kurenai. When her eyes landed on the three genin, she grew uneasy again. Kurenai vowed to change that.
She cleared her throat authoritatively, gaining their attention. "All right, everyone," she announced. "Just another set of pleasantries before we can get down to business. If you would ple–"
"Yo, what's with the pirate getup?" Kiba interrupted with a snicker.
Confusion spread across Sacora's face at the remark. "Watch it!" Kurenai snapped, and the impudent mirth dried up almost instantly. "As I was saying, please go ahead and introduce yourselves."
Shino went first. "Aburame Shino."
"Hyuga Hinata," the young Hyuga offered shyly. "N-nice to meet you."
Kiba looked Sacora up and down in appraisal. "Inuzuka Kiba," he smirked. Akamaru chimed in with a bark. "And Akamaru," he added, scratching the little dog's head.
Sacora seemed unaware that it was her turn until a little later. "Zhao Sacora," she mumbled, looking past the three genin.
"And you all know who I am," Iruka put in, saving the mood. "Sooo..." He picked up a clipboard from the log. "Let's get on to it. What we will do, Sacora, is have you perform your bending techniques. Hinata here will use her Byakugan to observe your chakra pathways as you move. So, Hinata," Iruka began with a nod her way. "If you will please."
The young Hyuga nodded back and brought her hands together to perform the seals. In a whir of motion, she completed them with the swiftness of frequent practice. "Byakugan!" Almost immediately, the veins near her temples bulged until they prominently fringed the corners of her eyes. As the jutsu heightened, it seemed as though the very veins in the eyes bulged along as well.
Sacora drew back in fear at the sight of it. "What's happening to her?" she asked in muted horror.
"It's all right," Iruka assured her. "This is how the Byakugan is–"
But Kiba started laughing hysterically, cutting him off. Shino turned to his teammate and demanded, "What's so funny?"
"Aw, man," the Inuzuka panted. "This girl's hilarious! Getting scared by some Byakugan! As if Hinata were a monster or something!"
"O-oh," Hinata stuttered, "I'm sorry..."
"Watch your tongue!" Kurenai snapped at Kiba. "You wouldn't be laughing if you were in her shoes."
"Yeah, not with pointy ones like hers," he retorted, and burst into a fresh fit of laughter.
Sacora's cheeks burned beet red as she stared down at her boots. "They're not that pointed," she mumbled in defense.
Kurenai narrowed her eyes at him. "Kiba, if you don't stop this instant…"
"He's calming already," Shino assured her, and grabbed at his teammate's arm. "Seriously, Kiba, get a hold of yourself. This is ridiculous."
When he finally stopped, Kurenai gestured for Hinata to continue holding the jutsu. "Pay him no mind," she added for good measure to both girls. "I'll deal with him later."
Iruka looked from Team Eight to Sacora. "Right, then...shall we begin?"
Sacora pursed her lips and swallowed her embarrassment as she looked to Iruka. "What would you like me to do, specifically?" she asked.
"Whatever you feel like doing," Iruka said. "Give us a good two or three minutes of demonstration, for starters."
Well, that didn't sound too difficult. The only thing that stayed her was the knowledge of the two strange boys standing witness to her bending; to be honest, all three genin were unsettling (isn't that Hinata girl blind? How does this Bi-ahck-yoo-gahn even help?), but at the very least Hinata tried to be nice. Shino's black spectacles and high collar made him seem shady, while Kiba's flippancy simply rubbed her the wrong way.
I guess I'll have to go through it anyway, she thought as she distanced herself from them to start her bending. She focused on the standard breathing exercises to take her mind off the stings of humiliation. I know just the thing to do; one of her favorite forms taught at the Royal Academy, which she liked to believe had played a role in awarding her the badge of honor.
Once she deemed herself far enough, she inhaled through her nose and brought her hands together in a triangular formation, exhaling through her mouth as she slowly lowered them below her chest. Then she shifted herself into position and, directing the flow of her chi as though it were just another start to a firebending class, punched out a blast of flame at an imaginary foe.
Her body moved without hesitation, punching again before transitioning smoothly to bring the fire from the outward attack into a circular movement. Building power from the ring, she blast fire from both fists and followed up with a spinning roundhouse kick. She landed lightly back on her feet and whipped around to send fire in consecutive snap kicks and punches as if her foe had dodged the previous attacks to come up behind her.
She next dropped to the ground and swiped her feet in arcs, sending crescents of fire skimming low to the ground. Pivoting on a wrist, she launched herself back up to make a series of high flames with hook kicks that would aim for the head as her enemy jumped to avoid the low ones. If for some reason he had managed to avoid that as well, she brought up a low-angled uppercut that traveled up her forearm and bloomed along her wrist to funnel into his torso.
The rush of heat was exhilarating, and suddenly Sacora felt herself not in Konoha but back at the Royal Academy – back in her element – and gave in to the motions with a vigor her instructors surely would have approved of. No, that Father surely would approve of.
As she moved, Iruka watched the foreign techniques with a mesmerized eye. He had remembered to scribble down notes on the clipboard, but couldn't help wondering in awe at what sort of skill it would take to maintain an Elemental Release without at least stopping to mold and release more chakra through hand seals in between. Fire techniques were considered difficult enough to master; to perform them in quick succession like this...
"Hinata, what are you seeing?" he asked, remembering the young Hyuga next to him.
"Ah...it's...not much different from a regular pathway system, but...she doesn't mold her chakra to use it...it flows in paths...and becomes fire, and then...it returns...and circles back around..."
Energy that doesn't get lost? A recyclable source of fuel? Indeed, Iruka would have expected a child her age to drop from chakra exhaustion way earlier. It seemed inconceivable that what Hinata was seeing was in any way true...which only served to confirm his and Inoichi's suspicions that ninjutsu and the young girl's art were different things entirely.
Sacora was nearing the end of the form as he contemplated this, having jumped back from another one of her aggressive punches. With a lightly forward hunch to gain momentum, she launched herself into the finishing move, her favorite maneuver thus far out of the entire form. Jumping high into the air, she envisioned her panicked enemy running beneath her in an attempt to escape. Then she spun her body horizontally, pivoting at the hips to create a swirling cycle of tornado kicks, before pinning him down in an angry stomp that flattened and blackened the grass beneath her feet.
She straightened herself in conclusion, smothering the little flames by her boots with a canceling inhalation. Her hands came together in formation again as she exhaled in the same manner as she had begun the exercise. Three full rounds, she thought, counting the midair rotations she had performed. Better than last time. Perhaps I can even get to four, like Chuni! Pride beamed throughout her body at this, and she noted with satisfaction the awed looks with which Iruka and Kurenai were regarding her.
But a single mutter brought it all down in ruins. "Show off."
Face growing hot, she whirled around angrily to confront this most recent jab. "If you graduated from your class with special honors, you'd show off too!"
"'Special honors', eh?" Kiba crossed his arms. "You ever put all that into practice? Or are you just good at looking flashy?"
"Kiba," Shino sighed in exasperation. "Will you please–"
"You know what?" Sacora interrupted. "If you think you're so special, why don't you come up here and spar me?"
"Oh yeah? Maybe I will!"
Hinata released her Byakugan and looked at each of them in turn. "B-but you're not supposed to," she protested meekly.
"Exactly," Shino agreed. "You both should know better than to let your emotions get the better of you."
"Actually...sparring sounds like a good idea." Kurenai cocked her head in Iruka's direction. "A little more direct comparison. And with Kiba's specialty being taijutsu, it seems a more even match than Hinata or Shino. What do you think?"
Iruka tapped the pen against his chin in thought. "It could work. But we'll keep it brief and you both have to stick to the rules," he added in warning to the two of them.
Kiba cracked a grin at this sudden lenience and flexed his hands in anticipation. "You're so going down."
Notes
I'll assume that Fire Nation nobility don't take their shoes off in their homes, according to what I've seen throughout the series. Besides which, that would make even less sense in the Water Tribes, so Sacora finds the practice a little strange.
Master/sifu/sensei - while it seems like Sacora should have used 'sifu' when initially addressing Iruka, it is more for martial arts instructors than teachers and she is operating under the impression of the latter. Teacher would be laoshi. However, I felt it would be too convoluted writing it like that so I settled on 'master' instead. It has the perfect balance between being English and translatable to either context. Besides which, Avatar characters have been portrayed thus far as putting titles before names. I imagine this is how she addresses her teachers at the Fire academy as well (Master Blah, Madame/Mistress Blah). Beyond this, I'll try not to complicate the fic with more vocab differences unless necessary.
The fist-below-palm is a Fire Nation cultural greeting based off of martial arts greeting gestures. In the real world you would put the fist in the palm, but I like to think the significance here is because the fist-below-palm resembles a flame.
Yugoda's chi mannequin and the shinobi chakra pathway diagram share very much in common, to be honest. And I apologize if my description of how a Hyuga clan member should see chakra being used is not accurate; the only thing I see when looking that up is the pathway system, but not the movements (or at least I'm not looking in the right place). Also I am partly half-assing the flow of chi, so yeah, there's that.