Desolation of the Caged Bird

"What's your verdict, sensei?"

Jiraiya's head ached. He wished it was the alcohol he'd drank the previous night, celebrating the birth of his godson. He'd lapped it up like a rogue dog off the tits of two of Nozomi-san's girls and between their mewls and their pleasure-ridden cries of 'Jiraiya-sama!' they'd gotten him to open one bottle of sake after another. 

The sun peered into his eyes, forcing him to squint. The voice of his student was too loud and too silent all at once. The complicated characters he was gazing at did not help alleviate his headache. He brought his fingers up to his temples and pressed them together, wishing once more he'd learned that one alcohol-purifying technique his hime-sama created. Orochimaru mocked it when she first displayed it to them, questioning if she planned on becoming a world-famous alcoholic. 

His former teammate was strange in that regard, in so much as he was a teetotaler. After months of pestering, he'd gotten the man to drink a small sip of sake, and he'd sworn off alcohol for the rest of his life. Jiraiya never understood that part of him. Killing was fine and they lived lives that could be cut short at any moment, but he refused to indulge in the occasional vices, out of a loathing for the long-term consequences. 

Why partake in such foolish acts which serve no purpose but to demean me and hinder my health?

"Sensei?"

"Right, right… the seal."

The longer he stared at it, the more his mind wandered off. He was never the prideful sort. Admitting when he was out of his element was a character trait that bordered on a character flaw. Yet, his lips would not move to utter that honest truth. Not because he didn't want to admit it, but because he didn't know how.

What do I say, exactly?

The work that'd been done before him was not out of his element, it was out of his damned universe. Attempting to unravel it was as futile as gazing into the sky and trying to get an accurate count of the number of stars with nothing but an outstretched finger. The longer he stared, the greater the disbelief within him grew. The more he tried to unravel it, the more a feeling of helplessness and bitterness gnawed at him from the inside out.

Twenty-eight years of experience in fūinjutsu, dabbling in the art since he was an eager ten-year-old who'd learned to hide porn in sealing scrolls, and he'd never seen anything of the sort. He'd managed to get private lessons from Mito-sama herself, all because his teacher was a student of her husband and brother-in-law, and his teammate was her granddaughter. It was a nepotistic advantage that not many would ever dare mention, and one not many would ever connect, but it did help.

He'd never have gotten where he was without those small advantages. He'd never become as skilled in fūinjutsu without those little benefits here and there. Even then, as his surname was not 'Uzumaki' and he was not red of hair, there was a limit he could reach with the art. Many in Konoha considered him a foremost expert, but Jiraiya knew better. He was a droplet born of a river, which in turn, was but a mere tributary of a vast and unfathomable ocean.

The work in front of him was something from the lowest depths of that ocean, so how could he, a mere droplet, fathom what it was?

The thought aided him to sober up more than he liked. He sat there, for numerous minutes, gazing at the work. There were layers upon layers. He had the faint idea as to what some layers were meant to do, but he did not know how they did it. It was like attempting to solve for X, but all the other numbers were also X. Not even a god could make X multiplied by X equal Y.

"Did you ask —"

"Kushina-chan?" his student hummed. "I did."

"And?"

"She's never seen anything like it."

"You thought I'd have a better shot?"

"No luck either?"

"Did you search the area? Find anything who might tell you who did this?"

"The sensors couldn't pick up anything. There were some destroyed trees and disturbed earth opposing the other side of the barrier but —"

"The alterations to this were done internally," Jiraiya noted.

That much, he could decipher. To make alterations to the barrier, one needed to first bypass it, and then edit it from the inside. This meant someone had first broken through the barrier, strengthened it, and simply… left?

"I had Tsume-san scan the area for any scents, but she didn't pick up anything unusual. Neither did Shibi-san. His kikaichu couldn't find any trace of foreign chakra signatures."

"This is strange, Minato."

Minato hummed, before crossing his arms and laughing merrily.

"You don't seem all that concerned."

"Kushina-chan has a theory that she has a guardian angel," Minato said. "She believes one of her relatives from the Uzumaki Clan is watching over her in secret."

Jiraiya gave him a long glance.

"It's unlikely, I know," he admitted. "But you know how she is. There are a lot of children who survived the fall of Uzushiogakure."

"And you?" Jiraiya probed. "What's your theory?"

"The person who did this doesn't have any ill will in mind.".

"You're sure?"

"With this barrier active, if they'd wanted to attack us, they would have. I couldn't use the Flying Thunder God Technique to get away nor fight, I couldn't summon any of the toads for backup, and I'd have to be fighting to protect Kushina-chan as well. If they wanted me dead, it was the prime moment to kill me."

He pointed to the barrier.

"Yet, the only thing they did was strengthen the barrier."

That was the part Jiraiya could not understand. To be capable of eliminating any and all space-time ninjutsu in an area, including the Second Hokage's Flying Thunder God Technique, turned a measly mid-ranked Barrier into a Kage-Level barrier. It must have taken a long amount of time to set it up. Why go to such effort and not even reveal yourself in the end? To what end? For what purpose?

It did not sit well with him. Having the knowledge that there was an unknown Fūinjutsu Master within Konoha with skills that surpassed them all made him uneasy. The most optimistic outcome of such a thing was learning that the mysterious master was a long-lost relative, or perhaps an obsessive super-fan of his student or his student's wife, but Jiraiya wasn't that optimistic.

There was a gust of wind, and a spike of chakra and a member of the ANBU corps appeared beside them, bowing immediately. 

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama."

"Is everything alright, Toru?"

"A messenger of the Daimyō arrived with an urgent message, Hokage-sama. He's waiting in your office."

"Daimyō?" Minato pondered. "I'll have to leave you here for now, sensei. If figure out anything about the seal —"

"Right, right, run along, brat."

His student vanished in a flash of yellow. Jiraiya sat and exhaled. The ANBU member vanished, and he was left alone, staring at the complicated work, with a feeling of exhaustion. 

"Where the hell do I even start…"

It was going to be a long, painful day.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The sign at the top of the building read Konohagakure no Sato — Shinobi Library. Two men stood at the entrance. The first was a Chūnin, middle-aged and with a receded hairline. A potent star-shaped scar lay across his nose which he itched slightly, before sneezing, as molecules of dust wafted into his nostrils. His chakra quantity was average for rank, and his elemental nature was fire. Twenty-eight shuriken lay within his pouch attached to his left hip, and a small short sword, a tantō lay on his back. 

The other was younger and equally male. Rotund, with more fat on his body than the average man, with squinted eyes. A stick of sweet confectionary lay in his hand, which he chewed upon slowly. He was less equipped than his contemporary, his chakra quantity was higher, and his element, similarly, was that of fire.

Both men regarded him as he approached, but only the thin one spoke. 

"Well, if it isn't Inumaki-san! You're back again?"

"I am."

"Haaah, must be really hard being a Chūnin Instructor," the same thin man said. "I swear I've seen you come down here every day for the past three weeks."

Inumaki's response was a smile and a warm chuckle. "It never gets boring, at least."

"I hear that," the man said. "Ugh. I've been stuck on guard duty for the past month. I really don't know why this post exists. The village gates, I get. The Hokage's Office, I can understand. But the bloody library?"

"There's lots of valuable knowledge in there," he provided. "Wouldn't want random civilians to gain access to it, would we?"

The thin Chūnin scoffed. "As if they'd have the guts to try."

He walked past both men, lightly tapping the thinner one on the shoulder. "You never know. One of these days, they'd surprise you."

"Hah! The day a civilian tries to enter the shinobi library is the day Lady Tsunade sucks my big fat —"

"I'm hungry," the fat Chūnin said abruptly. "I'm leaving for my lunch break."

"Oi! You just bloody got here, damn it!"

He ignored the bickering pair and made his way deep inside the library. The librarian was a young bespectacled woman. Her chakra quantity was greater than both men outside, and her elemental affinity was closer toward water and earth. She was not armed, not visibly. She gave him a polite nod and he nodded in turn, moving past her, deep into the library, and entering the section labeled 'Chūnin And Above Only.'

He closed his eyes and began to walk, seemingly, in a random manner. Anyone who saw him would assume he was searching for something, but his eyes were closed, and his motions were slow. As though he were guided, not by his own choice, but by sheer randomness and the fate of the universe, he moved about, his hand brushing past numerous books. He walked past the Ninjutsu section, feeling nothing. He moved past the Taijutsu section with a blank expression. In this manner, he until he reached an area labeled 'Miscellaneous And Foreign Arts.' 

As though struck by lightning, his eyes jerked open, and his hand flashed out and latched on to a book. The book choice, to anyone else, would have seemed utterly random. The book was dusty and the pages were yellowed, but the spine was in perfect condition, as was the back. It appeared as though it'd never been touched, never been used, and never been read.

The Allure of Control: A Kunoichi's Guide to Seduction and Subjugation

By Senju Shimokawa

He ignored the title and flipped open the first page.

Introduction

Since time immemorial, man has always wished to gain control. Be it to control one's fate, to control the elements, to control nature to one's whim, or to control his fellow man. To this end, numerous methods were developed and tested, and many have formed their own means of subjugating their enemies to their whim. 

The Nara Clan spent decades in the mastery of the depths of yang chakra and invented their Shadow Techniques which are capable of turning the non-physical into the physical, halting and controlling a body through the connection between their shadows. 

Their allies, the Yamanaka Clan, did the opposite and developed a means to control yin chakra. Through study and enlightenment, they invented their Mind Techniques, an art that enables them to alter and control the minds of others, and even go as far as projecting their spirits into their enemies. 

In Sunagakure no Sato, the harsh conditions of the desert and deadly wildlife led to the natives inventing puppeteering, a specific sub-set of Ninjutsu that allowed them to finely hone their chakra into threads, and use it to control puppets to serve as doppelgangers capable of attacking and defending from afar. A master of this art is often theorized to be able to control the corpses of humans, and, to an extent, living people.

The secrets to these techniques are guarded fiercely because the individuals responsible for the creation understand what is at stake. For a shinobi, the power to control another is the power to decide life and death. It is the power to bring endless ruin to villages, spark uprisings, and incite wars.

Thus, the most powerful Kunoichi is a kunoichi capable of control over men.

"Yin… chakra?"

'Inumaki' swiftly snapped the book shut. He strolled around the library, his gaze traveling to book upon book and title upon title, but nothing he'd found in the Chūnin section mentioned any of the two topics. He approached the librarian and offered a smile.

"Is there anything on Yin and Yang Chakra available?"

"That would be under Chakra Affinities."

"Chakra Affinities?"

"I'm afraid it's restricted to the Jōnin section, Inumaki-san."

'Inumaki' departed from the library. He continued a ways away, navigating past the busy and bustling streets of Konoha soundlessly. Swiftly and without hesitation, he turned down an alleyway. A moment later, a young boy emerged out the other side.

Chakra Affinities. Didn't I get a book on it for my birthday?

The boy recalled the words he'd seen.

Yin Chakra… if such a thing really does exist… 

It'd been a number of weeks since he discovered the Hokage's wife. Transforming into one of the teachers at the Konoha Academy and studying books at the library had been done in an effort to discover more about the woman.

Zi Wuji learned more than he hoped for. The woman was named Kushina and surnamed Uzumaki. Uzumaki Kushina. Coincidence? Unlikely. Though he failed to find a direct connection, Zi Wuji was certain that the woman was of some relation to Uzumaki Mito. Thus, he searched. He combed, scoured, and studied. Mountains of books piled up, the hours passed, candles melted and the lantern oil dried.

Answers came forth. A photograph, of a woman, red of hair and pale of complexion. Books and journals, autobiographies and references. Damning of them all, was the picture of Uzumaki Mito in clan regalia, standing beside a man with brown hair, known as the First Hokage, Senju Hashirama.

One of the books he'd gotten for his birthday was on The Legend of Hashirama Senju. In it, was the mention that his wife, Uzumaki Mito was the result of an arranged marriage with the distant relatives of the Senju, the Uzumaki Clan.

Within, Zi Wuji found even more answers. 

Tailed Beasts.

Reading their descriptions had brought Zi Wuji no small amount of excitement. The Tailed Beasts were the closest things to the Demonic Beasts he knew of in the Rain World. Yet, they were different. Not only were they sparse, but they were also creatures of pure chakra, not Qi. 

Nine Tailed Beasts roamed the lands unfettered, before, supposedly, Hashirama rounded them up and split them between the villages in an attempt to broker peace. The book did not go into detail as to which village got which, but Zi Wuji was willing to bet that Konoha had gotten the strongest one.

I cannot believe such fools exist in this world.

On one hand, Zi Wuji understood the danger that fear could breed. If Hashirama kept all the beasts for himself, the other villages would gather together like a group of hyenas and attack in hopes of gaining one for themselves. On the other hand, handing out the beasts was utter foolishness, when the man could have merely wiped out and absorbed the villages who would dare attack with overwhelming power.

He'd handed out the beasts in an attempt to prevent war, but there were Three Great Shinobi Wars afterward regardless, which made his decision not only foolish but altogether pointless. In his attempt to placate his enemies, all he'd done was successfully arm them.

The more he studied, the more discrepancies Zi Wuji found. Keeping the strongest-tailed beast would mean the village possessed a powerful trump card. Yet, he'd had seen no giant fox roaming about. Considering how difficult it would be to control such a thing, they must have had a way to keep the beast in check.

The First Hokage collected and gave out tailed beasts for the sake of peace. His wife was an Uzumaki. The Uzumaki Clan possessed the most fūinjutsu knowledge. The Fourth Hokage's wife was also surnamed Uzumaki. The Fourth Hokage's wife possessed a near-infinite source of chakra sealed within her.

The pieces connected and fit like a jigsaw puzzle.

Zi Wuji came to a stop on a forked road, which led to numerous clan compounds. His eyes activated, and he zoomed deep into a clan compound that was out of the way, almost completely isolated. A detail of four ANBU members could be found, hidden in the shadows within the clan compound, and the home itself was covered with numerous squiggles and writings which would be invisible to a layman.

It was the Hokage's Residence, but, beyond that, his research told him the small clan compound was created by the First Hokage to allow his in-laws/relatives in the Uzumaki Clan have a place of their own. 

Zooming into the house, he found no one present save for the red-haired woman, and the blond-haired baby in her arms.

Scanning the rest of the compound, he found layers of defensive seals which were passable to his standards but altogether held the same critical flaws as the barrier he'd seen in the forest.

On examining the protections, Zi Wuji was roughly ninety-five percent certain that the woman, Kushina, was the one who'd contributed majorly to the barrier. The handiwork was just as poor, and the writing just as atrocious. It both amused and irritated him. Had he not decided to absorb the chakra within her, he'd have considered taking her as his disciple, if only because he wanted to reprimand her horrible calligraphy and teach her proper form.

Zi Wuji departed from the fork in the road and continued on his way to the Hyūga Clan.

He'd hit a roadblock in his means of recreating the Yin Peculation Art and the Flutter Forcing Finger Art, and until he mastered both, he could not progress. The major problem he had was the fact that chakra was not Qi, and, due to the lack of an intrinsic yin or yang-natured energy, he could not recreate a technique that relied on the absorption of such energy.

However, he'd learned something new in the library today.

Yin Chakra.

It was time to dive head-first into his studies.

XXXXXXXX

Zi Wuji's Technique Development and Progress Journal

Year One:

Year Focus:   Chakra and Elemental Affinities

Observation Target : Myself/Others/Multiple

Supplementary Materials : Book on Elemental Affinities/Konoha Library

Observation : Humans possess a different nature of chakra, organized into elemental archetypes. 

Query: Are these elemental archetypes the same as those in the Rain World? What purpose do these archetypes serve? 

Discovery (1) : In the Rain World, the Elemental Archetypes are divided into Earth, Wood, Metal, Fire, and Water. They are called the Wuxing and are the building block and foundation of the universe. They overcome and succeed one another in an immutable cycle and are correlated with the cardinal directions, seasons, colors, musical tones, and bodily organs.

In the Elemental Nations, these elements are Earth, Lightning, Wind, Fire, and Water. There is no greater relation between these elements and the cosmos. However, these elements are the building blocks of nearly all ninjutsu, such that the Five Great Shinobi Villages are named after them. 

Emitting chakra from the body with one's elements is a process called Nature Transformation, and the corresponding element is called a 'Release' Technique. E.g, Fire Release [Katon], Water Release [Suiton], or Earth Release [Doton].

Discovery (2): Utilizing the Byakugan, one is able to determine the nature of chakra that another has by observing the flow of chakra. Fire is the most common, and the chakra flows wildly and forcefully. Earth is slow, stiff, yet deep and unyielding. Water is extremely malleable and fluid. Lightning, the rarest, moves in a jerky, fast and abrupt manner. Then there is wind, which is sharp, yet flows in a manner similar to water.

Experiment: Utilize the Byakugan to decipher and master my own Chakra Affinity. 

Results: My Chakra Affinity has been determined to be towards Wind and Fire. Current Mastery Progress is Underway. 

Notes : Yin and Yang Chakra are special natures that are the backbone of all non-elemental ninjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and the origin of genjutsu. There is Yin Release [Inton], based on the imagination and spiritual energy of a shinobi, and Yang Release [Yōton], based on the vitality and physical energy of a shinobi. Together, they are used to perform Yin–Yang Release [In'yōton/Onmyōton] .

Year Two:

Year Focus:   Yin and Yang Chakra

Observation Target : Genjutsu Users/Akimichi/Nara/Yamanaka Clans

Supplementary Materials : N/A

Observation : Clan-specific Jutsu and genjutsu utilize either Yin or Yang Chakra.

Query: Is the utilization of Yin and Yang Chakra commonplace amongst shinobi? Is a Yin/Yang Chakra Affinity a prerequisite or requirement to learn?

Discovery (1) : Children as early as five years old in the Yamanaka Clan are taught to mold Yin Chakra to be able to project their consciousness out of their body. Children as early as six or seven in the Akimichi Clan are likewise taught simplified Yang Chakra exercises to master their Multi-Size Technique.

Discovery (2): All Genjutsu fall under the category of Yin Release, ergo, all genjutsu users are capable of utilizing Yin Chakra., As such, neither a Yin nor Yang Chakra Affinity is required to learn either Yin or Yang Release Techniques. 

Experiment: Learn/fall under a Genjutsu and dissect the flow of chakra within.

Results: Inconclusive. [Could not find an individual willing to place me in a Genjutsu] [Could not find an individual willing to be placed under a Genjutsu] [Byakugan makes it impossible to cast a Genjutsu on myself].

Notes : A test subject may prove necessary for further experiments. Continuing without one may prove problematic.

Year Three:

Year Focus:   Byakugan and Tenketsu

Observation Target : Hyūga Clan/Myself

Supplementary Materials : N/A

Observation : There are three-hundred-and-sixty-one points at which chakra may be emitted from the body.

Query (1): Can one stimulate Nature Transformation through otherwise unutilized tenketsu? Are there any variations/specialties in the tenketsu?

Discovery (1): The 361 Tenketsu align perfectly with the 361 Acupuncture and Acupressure Points traditionally used in the Rain World Medical Charts, and are the exact specific points on the meridians where Qi is typically accessed. Beyond this, 12 Major Meridians can be found.

The 12 Major Meridians are composed of Five Yin meridians: Heart, Spleen, Lungs, Kidneys, and Liver; Five Yang meridians: Small intestines, Stomach, Large intestine, Urinary bladder, Gallbladder; and finally, the Pericardium meridian, and the San Jiao meridian.

These Meridians can be stimulated, and function identically to the Meridians of Cultivators, with the sole exception that Qi does not flow through them, but Chakra. Thus, Nature Transformation may be utilized through any tenketsu.

Discovery (2) : There are Eight Great Tenketsu within the human body. The Eight Great Points act as natural barriers and limiters, holding back the full amount of chakra a body is capable of possessing. 

The First Point is located in the brain's left hemisphere and possesses the power to remove one's mental inhibitions holding back their physical body. 

The Second Point is located in the brain's right hemisphere and increases one's physical strength, with the side effect of re-energizing the body and enabling it to rapidly recover from exhaustion.

The Third Point is located on the spinal cord and would stimulate the blood vessels, making one's skin red and engorged and forcing bulging veins all over the body.

The Fourth Point is located equally on the spinal cord and it could vastly increase one's speed but at the cost of severe muscle damage.

The Fifth Point is located in the abdomen and it vastly increases one's strength at the cost of damaging and fracturing the bones. 

The Sixth Point is located in the stomach. It increases all of one's abilities threefold and forces one to exude enough chakra to create a protective aura. 

The Seventh Point is located below the stomach and would cause the user's body to compress their chakra to such a point that it would secrete from them as sweat, and this sweat would work akin to a protective aura, but at the cost of significantly increased sensitivity and pain. 

The Eighth and final point is located at the heart. Activating this point forces one's heart to pump at maximum speed, and in turn grants power a hundred times greater than one was usually capable of. In exchange, one's blood would superheat and evaporate from the flesh, and the body would continually heat up until cooked from the inside out.

Query (2): Can the Eight Great Points be forcefully stimulated? Can they be blocked with the Gentle Fist?

Experiment: Attempt to stimulate All Eight Points and all 12 Meridians with the Gentle Fist.

Results: Inconclusive. [Could not find a suitable test subject] [Could not risk experimentation on self].

Notes : All further developments will be put on hold until a suitable test subject can be found.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

"As you are now four years of age, you are to begin proper taijutsu training."

There were no training dummies. He stood in an open field with his father watching on the side, his uncle, watching on another side, and a man he'd discovered was his grandfather, standing beside him. Across from Zi Wuji on the training ground was a young boy much older than him. Perhaps of seven or eight years of age, garbed in fine clothes and with a metal headband strapped around his arm rather than on his head, a Genin belonging to the Main Family.

"Is this necessary? Neji has no experience whatsoever in the Gentle Fist —"

"Your son is hailed as a genius, Hizashi," his grandfather's words came out. "I simply wish to test the veracity of such claims."

The Genin was taller, meaning he possessed a greater reach. He was older, thus leading to better musculature and muscle mass. The manner in which he glared showed that there was some sort of personal vendetta, which, Zi Wuji could not understand.

In the past three years, Zi Wuji hadn't paid much attention to the events of the clan. The days flew by in a blur as he set his focus for each year and worked towards deepening his understanding of the topics at hand. Although he'd discovered that one didn't need a Yin Chakra Affinity to use Yin Release, recreating the Yin Peculation Art required a mastery of Yin Release.

The Yin Peculation Art was to Yin Release what the Grand Fire Annihilation Technique was to Fire Release. It was a high-level art that required he at least be proficient in Nature Transformation, which meant he needed to have mastery of his own two chakra affinities of Wind and Fire before he could begin to master Yin Chakra.

This didn't account for his other studies on the Eight Great Points and the Meridians, all of which was him laying down the groundwork to learn the Flutter Forcing Finger Art. He needed an understanding of the Great Points and an understanding of Yin and Yang Chakra to be able to recreate the technique.

In short, he'd been lost in his own world, caring little for how he was seen or the drama and petty politics of his Clan and family.

This had come back to bite him.

"Did you not claim he'd learned to activate his Byakugan two whole years ago?"

"He did, but —"

"And did you not loudly declare that he'd mastered both tree walking and water walking before he turned a year old," his grandfather's voice was stern. "Whereas Hiashi's daughter is still learning to waddle and walk at two years old?"

His father winced.

"If he truly is a genius, he should be capable of this much."

Zi Wuji had encountered his cousin, Hinata, once or twice in the past year. Quiet, meek, soft-spoken and shy, she was found wanting in every conceivable way. She was not a genius. Even if she were, Zi Wuji was a reincarnated Cultivator, so it was impossible for her to catch up to him. 

Others in the clan did not see it that way. 

Rumors had already spread that Hinata lacked talent. She was turning three years of age soon, and still struggled to read properly and form elaborate sentences, as expected of an actual child. 

He'd skewed people's perspectives and expectations of what a 'genius' was meant to be. As the youngest applicant to enter the Shinobi Academy, people could not help but compare her to him. It took only a matter of months before he mastered walking and talking and numerous complex words and characters, whereas she was nearly three years old and nowhere near as fluent as he was at eleven months. 

In the eyes of the Hyūga clan, she was clearly inferior. 

Ever since this comparison started, a strain grew between his father and his uncle. His father took every moment possible to remind the world that his son was a genius. He'd wanted to take another wife and have another child, yet, Hiashi stopped him. Rumors began that Hiashi was worried that Hizashi would give birth to another genius, and the tensions between the branch house and the main house skyrocketed.

Although he'd obsessively watched others fight, no one had formally approached him to teach him martial arts, and his father had been instructed not to teach him the Gentle Fist. To go against an opponent who'd no doubt had extensive tutelage of the Gentle Fist with no experience of lessons whatsoever was a match-up rigged to teach him a lesson and reduce his status.

It was the common face-slapping nonsense Zi Wuji had grown accustomed to in the Rain World. Nails that stuck up were brutally hammered down. If one began to shine too brilliantly, there would always be those who refused to look away and wished to obscure that shine. He had not anticipated encountering such ridiculous setups in another life. 

"Neji, we simply wish to test your aptitude for combat. If you can last three minutes against your opponent, we will consider this your victory."

Zi Wuji bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't have time for such nonsense. He was already four years old. He hadn't anticipated that re-creating the Yin Peculation Art and the Flutter Forcing Finger Art would require so much work. In less than a decade or so, he'd reach puberty. Every minute counted.

He'd been contemplating the means of getting test subjects he could practice on, but the problem was, he needed to experiment on shinobi. A civilian had so little chakra and so little understanding of the flow of it that any information gotten from experimenting on them would be inaccurate. To ensure the veracity of his research, he would need to abduct, experiment on, and potentially kill adult shinobi and kunoichi of the village. 

The risks were high. Any autopsy done on a corpse found would draw eyes towards the Hyūga Clan, and although he could perfectly eliminate their corpses and leave no traces, the sudden disappearance of notable members of the workforce would undoubtedly draw much scrutiny.

He did not wish to reveal his cards before they were ready.

Zi Wuji exhaled.

How irritating.

There was too much to be done and not enough time to waste on petty clan conflicts and face-slapping drama.

The reason for all this was his father's inferiority complex. The man had done nothing at all to contribute to Zi Wuji's progress, except, perhaps, purchasing him that one fūinjutsu book which Zi Wuji ultimately found useless, and he went around like a braggart, reaping from where he did not sow.

It seems I've let this drag on for too long…

If he was going to spend another ten years in the village, he could not let himself be constantly interrupted with nonsense that would get in the way of his progress.

"I understand, uncle."

His opponent bowed in a respectful gesture, and Zi Wuji copied it. Then, the boy entered a pathetic mockery of a stance. Zi Wuji's irritation spiked. It was bad enough that time was taken out of his day with this nonsense, but now, his opponent wasn't even capable. 

"What are you doing?"

"What?"

"What is that nonsensical stance? Your legs should be further apart. Your right hand is too low and your center of balance is entirely off."

His opponent sneered. "What are you talking about?"

"The Gentle Fist is not so pathetic. You should be standing like this."

Zi Wuji entered into the correct beginning stance for the Hyūga Martial Art. It flowed naturally to him, as he'd long seen it and practiced it in his head thousands upon thousands of times. The muscle memory was engraved and entrenched in him too deeply to have flaws.

His uncle, Hiashi, and his grandfather snapped their gazes toward his father. His grandfather's expression was thin.

"I thought you were told not to teach him the Gentle Fist, Hizashi."

"I…" his father's voice was faint. "I didn't."

"What?"

"I've been occupied with missions. I've… never shown him the Gentle Fist."

His grandfather turned to him immediately, as did his uncle.

"Neji."

"Yes, grandfather?"

"Who taught you the Gentle Fist?"

"I learned from watching Uncle and others."

"What?" Hiashi blinked. "Watching me?"

"With my Byakugan. From my room." 

"You mean to tell me that you learned the Gentle Fist simply from seeing others practice it?"

"Yes, grandfather."

The field fell silent. His grandfather stroked his chin and did not speak.

"...Proceed."

"Grandfather," Zi Wuji exhaled. "Forgive me, but the opponent you've brought is lacking in skill. Please provide someone stronger, lest I kill him for making a mockery of our martial art."

The words rippled out like a wave. The brows of the old man rose significantly. His father looked at him as though seeing him for the first time, and his uncle's expression tightened.

"Neji!"

Their expressions surprised him, only for a minute, before he grasped why. No one in the clan had ever held a full conversation with him. He'd never gone out of his way to brag about his talents or skills because there was truly no need. What point was there for a tiger to brag to a group of rabbits? What king saw it necessary to brag before paupers?

They'd all believed, erroneously, that he was a humble genius. 

His grandfather's eyes sharpened. "If you can defeat him in three minutes, I'll consider it." 

"As you wish, grandfather."

Zi Wuji turned to his oppnent. The boy's morale was shaken. His grandfather shot the boy a glare, and he quickly came to the conclusion that his stance was indeed poor. He attempted to copy the stance Zi Wuji demonstrated, but failed, and ended up with an even worse stance than he started with. 

…This is insulting. 

"Begin!"

Zi Wuji blurred forward. A palm strike came rearing towards his face, an instinctive, ill-thought-out response. It was slow. Laughably, disgustingly, and irritatingly slow. He evaded the palm strike without even thinking of it, and his own palm struck out, striking the chest of his opponent five times in the burst of a single second.

Tsk! Five is not enough?

He'd been aiming for the Eighth Point on the body. Zi Wuji wanted to know what would happen if the tenketsu was struck precisely enough to trigger the Eighth Great Point. Five strikes had not done it. How many, then, would it take, to forcefully activate another person's Point of Death?

The boy's eyes went wide. He coughed a mouthful of blood and his expression twisted into one of horror. He grasped at his chest and squeezed tightly. Without a sound, he collapsed to the ground his face burying itself into the dirt.

For three full seconds, silence reigned.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Flawless.

Utterly flawless.

Not a single motion was wasted. Not a single unnecessary motion. Fluid, swift, and lethal — the Gentle Fist at its most effective and beautiful. Coupled with ruthlessness and viciousness that had been lacking in his progeny for so long, it brought a deep and satisfying warmth to the heart of Hyūga Hideyoshi.

"Suzuki!"

Hiashi rushed to the side of the defeated Genin. Hideyoshi wordlessly activated his Byakugan. The five strikes had indeed been imbued with chakra, and they'd all aimed at the heart. There was only one outcome.

"You… killed him."

His grandson, stood, with his gaze sharp. Hideyoshi's blood ran wild. His old heart raced as he witnessed the expression on the boy's face, the complete and utter disregard for a weaker foe, and the sheer expression of disgust that made Hiashi flinch.

"He was too weak to be called a Hyūga."

Hahahahaha!

Hideyoshi's lips formed into a wide grin. His old cheeks hurt from the force exerted on them, yet, he could not help it.

He had set out to teach his wayward younger son a lesson about his place and destiny within the clan. Hizashi had been getting too arrogant, and his son's popularity amongst the Branch Clan was becoming problematic. Ever since Hiashi's daughter was born, she was compared relentlessly to the more brilliant boy, and the comparison had become a source of discontent. 

He'd sought to nip it in the bud immediately and end whatever exaggerated rumors existed of the boy's genius. Except, he'd been proven wrong. The rumors of the boy's genius were not exaggerated.

They were understated.

Hideyoshi knew full-grown adults whose mastery of the Gentle Fist was not as fluid as what he'd witnessed the boy demonstrate. There was no doubting the boy's talent any longer. He was a self-learned genius, a rare one-in-a-thousand existence that often occurred in clans. 

Alas, no matter how talented, he was still in the Branch Clan and would receive the Caged Bird seal once Hinata turned three years of age.

Hideyoshi felt it was a waste. The fact that Hiashi had given birth to a girl was already something that irked him, as it was not customary for women to lead the Hyūga Clan. Kunoichi were vastly inferior to their shinobi counterparts in all ways from strength to mental fortitude. Worse still, if she were to elope with someone else or marry an outsider, then every investment the clan poured into her would be for nothing. The thought of the leader of the esteemed Hyūga Clan becoming a mere housewife sickened Hideyoshi to no end.

Of course, Hiashi's wife still lived while Hizashi's wife was dead, and although he heard rumors of the woman being frail and sickly, he would convince Hiashi to try for another child in hopes of getting a proper male heir. He would never let Hizashi take another wife, however. If the man birthed another genius, there would be no justifiable grounds to keep Hiashi as the Clan Head without sparking a revolt from the Branch House.

Yet, even if Hiashi were to have a son, would he be able to surpass the genius before him? Hideyoshi did not believe it was likely. If he'd simply made it so Hizashi was the Clan Heir and Hiashi had been the one to receive the Caged Bird Seal, then the young boy in front of him would have been the brilliant star that elevated the Hyūga Clan to greatness.

Instead, his fate was to become a servant of a talentless wastrel of a girl.

Impossible!

Were his grandson to be of average skill, Hideyoshi would have let fate take its course. Were the boy to be of exceptional skill, even then, no matter how much it pained him, he would have still let fate take its course. However, the boy was of peerless skill.

And, to sweeten the pot, the boy's attitude was perfect!

Shinobi of the current era were too weak. Hideyoshi greatly detested the kind of shinobi being bred in the modern day. He was one of the few who was strongly disappointed by the decision of the Third Hokage to hand over the title of Hokage to Namikaze Minato, rather than the more fitting Orochimaru. 

Although he would never consider himself Hiruzen's rival, he'd grown up in the same era and time as them, and till present, Shimura Danzo remained one of his close confidants. His mindset was different from the rest. He wanted a more militaristic, stronger, and unified Hyūga. He wanted someone in the Hyūga to be a force to be reckoned with.

For too long, they'd been overshadowed by big names such as Hashirama Senju and Uchiha Madara. For too long, individuals such as Fugaku of the Wicked Eye and the Sannin Tsunade stole the spotlight as the geniuses of Uchiha and Senju fortune. Whereas his pitiful sons were of comparatively lacking renown, their peers brought glory and accolade to their ancestors and their clan.

No. 

No longer.

Hideyoshi would stand for it no longer.

The Hyūga Clan was inferior to none! They were not inferior to the Uchiha, and not inferior to the Senju! 

A statement needed to be made to the world that they were strong. A statement had to be made that they were peerless. Before he died, Hyūga Hideyoshi wanted nothing more than to make that grand statement, that the Hyūga were without equal.

Such a statement could not be made if the leader of the clan would be a pitiful, incompetent, wastrel of a woman.

"Neji," Hizashi approached his son. "This wasn't a match to the death. You shouldn't have killed —"

"No," Hideyoshi declared loudly. "Neji-kun's actions were correct. Against a potentially stronger, more dangerous opponent, one must be ready to give their all. Young Suzuki slacked in his training, and this is the result. His death is no one's fault but his own."

Hideyoshi stroked his chin and approached his grandson. The boy's gaze did not falter. Unwavering and sharp, even under the pressure of his elders. For the first time in his life, Hideyoshi was indeed proud to be a parent. This was what the Hyūga clan had been missing. This was what it needed. A man who gave no room for his enemies. A person not just strong, but smart and ruthless.

"Hiashi."

"Yes, otou-sama?"

"Neji."

"Yes, grandfather?"

Hyūga Hideyoshi smiled.

"Fifteen minutes."

"Grandfather?"

"If you are able to last fifteen minutes against your uncle," Hideyoshi declared. "You will become the new Heir of the Hyūga Clan."

The expressions on the faces of his sons were as he anticipated. Their outcry emerged like irritating bees buzzing in his ears. In truth, he blamed their mother for their weakness. It was his fault, having been entrapped by that woman's sensuous thighs and tightness. He'd never wanted to marry her, as he'd felt she was lacking in many ways and her genes were not fit to lead the next generation, but he'd succumbed to her skilled mouth. Till this day, his lack of self-control that night was his greatest shame.

"Otou-sama! This is not your decision to —"

"I'll inform the Elders, and we shall have a vote," Hideyoshi declared. "If the boy lasts fifteen minutes against you, Hiashi, you will adopt him as your son, and Hizashi will adopt Hinata as his daughter. She will be branded as a member of the Branch House and will serve her role dutifully."

"I will not stand for it," Hiashi's eyes burned. "The Clan Laws —"

"The laws allow exceptions for exceptional individuals," he interrupted him. "And Neji-kun is an exceptional individual."

Hideyoshi reached out for his grandson and placed his hand on the boy's head.

"If Neji-kun can last fifteen minutes against the Clan Head at a young age, having self-taught himself our esteemed taijutsu, then he is a genius amongst geniuses and more than deserving of the position of heir."

"You want me to go all out against my nephew? Otou-sama, he is a child —"

"And we are shinobi," Hideyoshi said sharply. "If you wish to hold back, you may do so at your own imperative. I have stated the conditions. If you let him last the full fifteen minutes, you will lose yourself a daughter and gain yourself a son."

"Grandfather."

"Do you have problems with this arrangement, Neji?"

"I just wish to know what will happen if I accidentally kill Uncle."

"Neji!" Hizashi called sharply. 

Hideyoshi could not hide his amusement. He barked out a laugh, one so full of mirth and excitement that his old bones felt rejuvenated. Indeed, compared to his incompetent wastes called sons, the boy held far more guts. Any doubts Hideyoshi held were gone. This was not a mistake. This was the right course of action. Such a child would not disappoint him, and such a child would elevate the Hyūga Clan to peerless heights.

"If you somehow kill your uncle," Hideyoshi mused. "Then your father will take his place as the temporary clan head until you are old enough to assume the position."

"Understood, grandfather."

"Good," Hideyoshi smiled. "It will be a pure taijutsu match. You may only use the Gentle Fist, and its related taijutsu. You will have a week to prepare and polish your skills, Neji-kun. At the end of the week, I will gather the Clan Elders and the match will be held."

He patted him on the shoulders.

"I hope you will provide an interesting show."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Hizashi paced back and forth within his room, his lips furrowed into a frown. His father had gotten word to the Elders, and somehow, the Elders collectively agreed. The word spread wild and fast, and everyone in the Hyūga Clan was now aware of the most important event that would happen in their clan in the past century.

It was the dream of those born into the Branch House to someday be able to change their fates. No one wanted to be born a slave and die a slave. No one who had the Caged Bird Seal was content with the situation, but, they'd bore through with it, believing and telling themselves they were doing it for the good of their family.

Now, an opportunity had arisen. One of their own would have a chance to become a member of the Main House. There was no one in the Branch House that this did not excite. Something they'd all thought to be a dream was reachable, albeit, for special circumstances.

Hizashi was conflicted. It'd been his greatest fear that his son, with all his talent, would still be branded, and this was a means to avert that fate. Yet, it would mean losing his son. Biologically, they would still be parent and child, but their social standing would be worlds apart. In exchange, he would gain a daughter he did not particularly care for and knew little about how to raise.

If he was honest, he hadn't raised Neji at all. The boy's genius made him independent from a young age, and Hizashi could barely count the number of contributions he'd made to his son's life. It was why Neji's ruthlessness stunned him. He hadn't seen it coming. He hadn't expected it. He hadn't known he was capable of it.

The more Hizashi thought, the more he realized that he did not know his son at all. He did not know the boy's favorite meal, he did not know of his hobbies, his strengths, his weaknesses, his likes, and dislikes. He could not speak of his son's ambitions or dreams, his favorite colors, nor even his burgeoning personality. 

As the de-facto leader of the Branch House, he was often sent on missions in Hiashi's steed. To ensure the Byakugan never fell into the wrong hands, he handled all of the tasks that would otherwise take Hiashi out of the village, and as such, was often gone for weeks or months at a time. His son never really complained, and in a way, he'd been glad to have a child so independent. 

Now. Hizashi saw his folly.

He'd never instilled any morals or lessons into the boy. He'd never taught him anything of kindness or empathy, nor had he shown him humility and discipline. With no one to truly teach him, his son must have gotten it from elsewhere. The ruthlessness and callousness he'd displayed worried Hizashi. His father loved it, and the man was a relic of older and bygone times with outdated beliefs, so if his father approved of Neji's behavior, it was, in Hizashi's eyes, a massive red flag.

Yet, it was that same red flag that gave Neji the opportunity to change his fate.

Alas, Hizashi knew it was just that. An opportunity. His brother loved his daughter too much. The man would never allow her to be branded. Hiashi would be ruthless in the upcoming battle, and though he knew his son was gifted and they were restricted to the Gentle Fist, Hiashi was still a Jōnin.

His son entered the room and caught him pacing. Hizashi swiftly took in a deep breath and forced his voice to be stern.

"Neji."

"Is something wrong, father?"

Hizashi faltered. He didn't know where to begin. The boy's gaze was cold. Piercing. Dare he say it, it was almost mocking. As though he could see right through him, as though he could peer, straight past him, and unravel him, layer by layer, peel by peel.

"D-do you need any help with train —"

"I'll be fine on my own."

"T-then," Hizashi cleared his throat. "Is there any way I can…" 

"No."

"I… I see."

"Do you hate Uncle, father?"

"W-what?"

"Do you hate him?"

Hizashi couldn't answer. 

Did he hate his brother? How could he say that he loved him? From the moment of their birth till present, could he love a man who'd gotten everything he'd ever wanted? A man who'd always had the power to try and abolish the clan customs, but did nothing? A man who'd stolen away the heart of the woman he loved? A man who lived in affluence, enjoyed all the benefits, riches and blessings that he should have had as well?

A man who'd gotten everything, not through hard work or talent, but merely by the fate of being into the world moments earlier?

"I…"

"It's fine."

His son's voice was plain.

"You won't have to hate him for much longer."

The boy exited the room.

For the first time in a truly long time —

Hyūga Hizashi felt fear.