Bloodline Initiation: Byakugan! [solo]

It was a special day for Hyuuga Tsubaki, known colloquially as Lady Crane. For today her father, Lord Ibari, had announced that Tsubaki would be attending the Shinobi Academy. That could only mean one thing: today she would be taught the secrets of the Byakugan. It had been so with her older brothers and cousins, so she knew it would be so with her as well. It would take place at night in the dojo, a place previously forbidden to her. The time had not yet come though, first she was to be prepared.

As with any important rite of passage, rituals had to be observed. One did not walk into the dojo for the first time as they walked into any other room. One did not approach the learning of bloodline secrets like arithmetic. The mind, body, and soul of the practitioner had to be prepared to embark upon a life changing journey. When she began she would be an uninitiated child. Once complete, Tsubaki would have her fate laid before her. There was no turning back. As assuredly as Lord Ibari announced her tutelage at the academy, the ritual had already begun.

Kneeling on the floor of the room set aside for matters of court, Tsubaki bowed before her father’s wishes, fully touching her forehead to the floor in a sign of supplication as she waited for the order.

“Prepare her.”, he said with great gravitas for such simple words, motioning for her cousins to come forward and accept their charge. Hyuuga Mariko and Hyuuga Maka both knew what to do from their own initiations into the mysteries. The two of them moved to flank their young charge, guiding her up and to her feet. While it would not be necessary with her, Mariko and Maka both knew their duty well: Tsubaki would undergo the rites whether she like it or not. Disobedience would not be tolerated.

The trio emerged from the shadowy court chamber into the interior courtyard with only the sound of the sliding of the door in its wooden track and the soft falls of their feet. The door closed Behind them with a quiet clack as the court continued in their absence, matters of politics still left on the agenda. Their destination determined, Tsubaki was lead into the bathhouse, a hand on each of her biceps over top the white kimono she wore habitually. Steam greeted them, wafting forth from the pools of near scalding water. Then the work began for Tsubaki’s cousins.

It all started with a ritual undressing and bathing in waters too warm to be enjoyable. The discomfort was part of it. The heat would melt away any impurities, leaving her clean in body and spirit. Various soaps, oils, and scents would be used in the process; leaving her as clean as she believed she had ever been. It was something of an accomplishment for the older girls, considering how fastidious their cousin was at staying clean. They also may have enjoyed it more than was strictly necessary, never losing an opportunity to get one over on their prim cousin.

The dressing came next. Fine silk gliding like butter across Tsubaki’s sensitive skin. It brought a shiver up her spine, the contrast of the slippery cloth to the rough brushes of the bath. For an event of such importance, only the purity of white could be selected. Time was taken to straighten and tighten everything just so, from the obi to the ribbon used to hold back her hair in the single tail. Of course, that could only follow one of the most thorough brushing her hair had ever received. Once everything was settled there wasn’t a single hair out of place or a single wrinkle in her clothing.

It was hours later when they emerged from the bathhouse with Tsubaki once again between them. No longer did they physically hold her, for the binding effect of the ritual was more sure than any restraint. To the shrine they went, moving about the inside walkways of the courtyard as family members looked on, taking a moment to stop what they were doing as she passed. The atmosphere was a tense sort of respect. No one spoke, besides for the sound of their feet, only the babbling sounds of the stream in the garden could be heard.

Incense smoldered in preparation for Tsubaki’s arrival, filling the air with its fragrant scent. Wisps of grey smoke stood like a wall with the door open. Once entered you got a sense of just how sacred this place was. Plaques inscribed with the names of the ancestors back to the founders of the clan adorned the walls and alcoves. The symbol of the Hyuuga clan in Kirigakure no Saito hanging from banners on either side of a life sized statue of the clan founder in bronze with pearls set in for eyes. The closing clack of the sliding door left Tsubaki alone for the first time since the announcement. Here she would remain until it was time.

Hours passed, the incense burning down from full sticks, to nubs, to smoldering embers in the bottom of the holders. Inside the the shrine it grew dimmer and dimmer until at last the sun had fully set. When the door slid open next, the courtyard was lit only by the dim light seeping through paper doors in the rest of the compound. One door in particular was left open when it was always kept closed. Inside was the rarely glimpsed dojo of the Kirigakure Hyuuga clan with its leather padded floor and signboard. Mariko and Maka stood beside the open doors of the shrine, waiting in silence for the last of the prayers to end.

The rise and turn that left Tsubaki looking straight across from the shrine into the dojo was meteoric. She hadn’t waited just this one day, but most of her young life for this moment. Inside the dojo sat Lord Ibari in all his noble splendor in his black kimono. He waited, eyed forward, for her to join him. The whole of the experience was surreal, Tsubaki’s first steps feeling as if she were watching someone else get up and move. It wasn’t until she was halfway across the open courtyard that she snapped back behind her own eyes. This was really happening.

[1,059 Words]

The last half of the courtyard was like wading through syrup as time seemed to retard. At the open door, Tsubaki stopped to wait for permission to enter in a deep bow. Her heart leapt up into her ears, a throbbing beat reverberating through her head.

“Enter.”, at last came the command. Her head rose, eyes meeting with her father’s in an intense moment. Bu-bum. Beat the invisible drum that was her heart as she crossed the threshold and the doors slid shut behind her with a sharp crack that made her jump in her own skin. When had they moved from the doors of the shrine? Time to ponder that was cut short as she became aware of Lord Ibari rising from his kneeling position. He favored her with his last bit of comfort for the night, a grin touching his features for just the barest moment.

“Come, Daughter. Now you join us to be forever intertwined through the gifts of our illustrious bloodline.”, his face having once again grown solem. With the grace of her namesake, Lady Crane crossed the padded leather floor and came to a stop before her Lord Father. The signboard of their dojo sat behind him, the honor of their style hanging on the wall for the privileged to see. Together they kneeled, eyes locked on one another as they came to a rest upon the leather with a scroll placed between them.

“This scroll contains the history of our clan and the secret of activating the doujutsu that is the right of our blood. With it, I shall teach you to see this world in a way you never have before.” Together their eyes lowered to the scroll between them, Lord Ibari unfurling it to reveal many columns of text followed by an intricately drawn diagram the likes of which Tsubaki had never seen. On it was a human covered in a network of lines that were in turn covered with dots too numerous to count. Next to the diagram of the person was a close up of the eye.

“As you by now know, chakra is created when the energies of the body and soul are co-mingled. That chakra is then distributed throughout the body by the chakra pathway system. Along the pathways are 361 tenketsu or pressure points. Each one of these points controls the flow of chakra, and by striking them we can stop that flow. This is the basis of the Gentle Fist, a taijutsu style that only we of the Hyuuga can utilize.”, Lord Ibari paused a moment in his speech to look at his daughter. “We do this through the activation of your Byakugan, the all seeing white eye. We alone can see the chakra pathways and tenketsu.”

Tsubaki felt awed, looking down upon the scroll as her father described just what separates them from the rest of the ninja world. “Even the mighty Sharingan of the Uchiha cannot match our Doujutsu in this. Hold your head high and know that you will possess abilities that will always be beyond the ken of other men and women.” Her mouth hung slack in amazement. She had heard stories of the Uchiha clan, and to know that even they could not match the Hyuuga? Her heart swelled with pride.

She caught herself before long, tightening back up as her father continued pretending that he hadn’t seen her lapse. “Eventually you will be able to access the Byakugan with only your will, but we will begin with hand signs. Horse, Tiger, Boar, Hare, Rat, Dog, Horse, Dog, Hare, Rat, Boar, Snake.”, as he spoke he formed the signs himself slowly for her to see. “Try it with me now. Gather your chakra and concentrate upon your eyes as if you were opening them. Horse, Tiger, Boar, Hare, Rat, Dog, Horse, Dog, Hare, Rat, Boar, Snake. Byakugan!”

Lord Ibari’s veins budged from his temples as his Byakugan activated, showing him the chakra pathways of his daughter. There was a rush of chakra from her belly that rose up into her eyes, flared, and then vanished. “Again.”, he demanded in a stern voice, unaccepting of failure.

Together they sat, kneeling back on their heels as Tsubaki tried to coax forward the doujutsu with occasional comments from her Lord Father. It went on in that way for what seemed an eternity until at last she formed the snake seal and willed her vision out of her body, just as she had experiences when she took her first steps out of the shrine. A tightness in her temples manifested as her veins popped and her world changed before her eyes. Sitting before her was the diagram from the scroll in brilliant color. She could see the gathered chakra behind Lord Ibari’s eyes. What stunned her most though was that she could see all around her and through the walls. What looked back at her was the might of the Kirigakure Hyuuga clan.

Before her sat Lord Ibari, but her cousins Mariko and Maka were watching from outside the dojo along with every other adult member of the clan within the compound. Every one of them held chakra behind and throughout their eyes. They had been watching all along. For a time she lost herself, forgetting who sat before her as she haunted through the compound.

“Enough. It is time you receive your first lesson in the art of Juken, the Gentle Fist. Stand, for we have much work to do yet.”

[1,059 + 917 = 1,976 Words]

“Before you learn to use the Gentle Fist, first you must experience it so that you will know what you are doing to your opponent. The Gentle Fist is not a style to be used lightly, for it damages the chakra pathways, tenketsu, and internal organs. This technique is Gentle Fist Art: Palm Bottom. You will learn it before we are done this night. Are you ready?”, asked Lord Ibari as he just feet away from his daughter on the dojo floor.

“Hai.”, she responded in the affirmative, trying to keep the feeling of dread out of her voice. Never had her Lord Father raised a hand against her before. While she knew he wouldn’t hurt her badly, she still couldn’t help but feel a tremble in her knees. It was something she didn’t have long to think on, as he took his stance and thrust into her gut with his palm so quickly that she barely had time to realize what was afoot before he made contact. While the physical blow was barely more than a tap, she found herself doubled over in pain the next instant, coughing as she tried to fill her lungs with air.

Several long moments later she finally got control of herself and was able to take her eyes off the leather mat on the floor. As she straightened she looked up to see the hard face of Lord Ibari. “Now that you know the what even our most simple techniques may do, come here and I will show you their secrets.”

Tsubaki approached her Father as she never had before, seeing him in action for the first time in her life. She didn’t have long to dwell on how she felt at that moment, for the lesson went on. He strode around behind her and took her hand in his. “Here”, he pointed on her body with her hand in his, “Is your target. You will channel chakra through your palm in a small point like a senbon and strike me there upon the tenketsu. Do you understand?”, he asked as he let her hand go to move around in front of her.

“Hai.”, she responded, more afraid to strike her father than she had been of him striking her. She took her stance, sliding a foot forward until she was in a comfortable neutral position. She fixed her gaze upon the tenketsu in Lord Ibari’s abdomen and concentrated on gathering the chakra into her palm. Normally she might have warned him with a cry of here I go, or something similar, but she was simply too nervous. What she did was step and strike and get the “reward” of watching her father grimace. It suddenly became clear to her why he was so hard in these matters. He knew what this training meant,

“Again.”, he demanded in his cold tone, as if it were nothing at all that she was doing to him. In that moment she wanted to stop, wanted to take back the manipulation that lead to this day, wanted to take back the pain she was going to inflict upon her father. But she couldn’t, he would not allow it. Together they were bound by destiny and honor. She hit him again and wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Together they would take their abuse. She would ignore the small twitches of pain he could not conceal and he would ignore the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Practice continued long into the night on that first night. Lord Ibari would not be satisfied until she could enter Byakugan and perform the Gentle Fist: Palm Bottom every time. The start of academy classes would be in only a few days, and no daughter of his would attend unless she passed this first test. When they were finished she didn’t know what to think of her Lord Father anymore. Should she love him for sparing her the pain of having to see him hurt or should she hate him for making her do it over and over again? In the end the only thing she knew for sure was that they were Hyuuga, and this was their destiny.

[Exit]
[1,059 + 917 + 700 = 2,676 Words]
[Training Byakugan 1,000 Words]
[Training Gentle Fist: Palm Bottom 500 Words]
[2,600 Words towards stats for +13]