Genius Hyuga Twins

Chapter 5: Training to Graduate

When we were ten, Neji and I started to intensify our training more. We were both already gifted with our Byakugan, but we wanted to push it further.

"Seven." Neji calls out as we stand in the forest. We're trying to see how many birds there are in a tree in the distance, while also seeing through several objects and not moving. "80 meters at 30 degrees south west."

I pull a thread to release a kunai that way. We are in the part of the forest owned by the Hyuga's that is attached to our compound. When we want to practice more ranged techniques or just need more space, we head out here. We set up each time, placing kunai's and attaching them to wires to be released from a central location. So when he gave the direction, I released that particular thread. We heard the impact in the distance, and both looked up to count the birds.

"So there were eight." Neji says discouraged.

"You'll get them next time." I say smiling to him. We're training our blind spots at a distance, so we're specifically not moving our heads to compensate for the blind spot, but instead attempting to predict around it. "My turn. Six, 100 meters, 20 degrees north." I call out after using my Byakugan. I still get baffled at how far I can see when using it, and we've had it activated since we were three.

Neji pulls the string. "There were eight. Two flew out from one spot together. You still did good though, this is the farthest range we've done so far. Let's go again." Neji says kindly to me. He's never mean to me nor puts me down, he always encourages me as I do for him as well. It's not often that one of us is worse or better than the other, but his eyes are a little bit stronger than my own in overall sight, though I can focus better on one single direction in front of me better than him. In our fighting styles, I am a little bit faster in running and combat than him, while he's slightly stronger than me. We are still two of the top members of the clan, even if the main house doesn't acknowledge us. The academy does though, and we're the top ranked boy and girl in our class.

For our academy training, it's very different than schools I am used to in my past. Even though we may sit in a classroom and study some basic topics like reading and math, the applications for them are very different. In my old life, we would find the hypotenuse of a triangle using math. Here, we use the same concept to figure out the best angle to throw a kunai at an enemy while in a tree. In my old life, we read books in class and would discuss characters or plot developments. Here, we read a scroll and look for hidden meanings and decipher codes. I find myself far more interested in learning while in this world, which is why I end up being the top of my class. I don't like the fact that I'm technically a 'kunoichi' and have to take girl specific classes. It might be my stubborn American mentality, but I don't want to take flower arranging while the boys gets an extra sparring session at the end of each day. I still do it because I don't like losing, but I have little to no interest in much of what they teach in that class. In our later kunoichi courses, we'll be learning more useful stuff, like deception, seduction, and poisons, but for now, I find myself annoyed and bored in those classes. I personally choose to practice sparring outside of class for an extra hour, usually with Neji if he's not too tired from his own.

Over the years, I found a good balance with all my training, academy time, and my few friends I have made. I don't see them too often, maybe only once or twice a month each, a little more frequent for Sasuke though. I dragged Neji along once to go explore the forests with Kiba and I, since I figured he would like it. I was right and he did like it, though he stayed quiet and chose not to interact much with Kiba, which was fine. At first, I was the same, since Kiba was just so much energy and talked a lot. Over time though, his persistent talking brought me out of my shell a lot. He liked my calm nature, and enjoyed my slightly darker comments I would make, or my sarcasm I would use. I was surprised it never put him off like it used to on others in my past. Whenever Kiba was being too annoying or persistent, I had taken the habit of throwing a knife at him to shut up, a habit I developed with Sasuke already. He grew used to the tradition, and would make it his goal to dodge them faster each time, seeing it as extra training. Neji had a respect for Kiba on his knowledge of the forest, and since Neji didn't like it when others knew more than him, he would listen to the boy attentively, even if he didn't look like he was. Kiba and I would often have races through the trees, either up in them or on the ground. All the races we have was probably why I was slightly faster than Neji, yet he still didn't want to participate in them.