AN: I have no idea if I will continue these one shots because after this the story would focus exclusively on Rashi and the Rooke 9's children. To me, I've been finding it hella hilarious in my head (Uchiha/Hyuuga rivalry FTW). I might just say screw it and do it anyway. If folks wanna read it they can. XD This story mostly focused on father and son, but Hinata's in there lil bit.

It is highly recommended you read Prodigy before this one, as this story is four years later. You dun hafeta but it'll make more sense.

Training

The child moved with no small amount of skill, dodging and blocking blows that would, if he were hit, damage him on an internal level. His eyes are narrowed and focused, chakra filled veins around them revealing that he is a child with a bloodline limit. His lithe body twists and bends in manners that adults can no longer accomplish, long dark brown hair trailing behind him.

Quickly he goes on the offensive, his blows precise with just the right amount of chakra needed should the blow hit. His opponent blocks and allows the boy to press him back a few steps before he makes a sharp move. The child is unable to block in time and his eyes widen with a little fear at the realization.

The hand, fingers only inches away from his heart, stops. It is the hand of an adult, of his father.

"Your defense is lacking," the older man states, his voice stern "you cannot assume that you will always be able to get in close for a quick kill." He backs away and shifts back into his stance "That was not a move you could not have blocked. Let's try that again."

Taking a breath the child mimics the man's stance although it is obvious that he is tiring whereas the adult hasn't even broken a sweat. It is a little infuriating to him because he is a prideful child, but he is also an obedient one. He does not protest and logically he understands that at his current level he could not ever hope to hold a candle to the skills and powers of his father.

Focusing, he shifts his chakra into his palms and once again goes on the offensive, the two exchanging blows and blocks. The boy remains focused and determined; his life is not one where he can be irresponsible and he has high goals for himself. To do this, he must discard pride and arrogance so that he may learn from one who is, like him, a genius. A prodigy.

"Better." He hears his father say and the boy squashes down the elated feeling at the praise although he cannot help the small smile that emerges. His goal, his wish, is to be like the man in front of him, to make him proud and to ensure that those who call him 'genius' and 'prodigy' are not wasting their words.

"Based on what you've seen," the man continues, pushing the boy back "show me the openings I'm leaving you."

So he does, understanding that these 'openings' are on purpose, to see if the boy is truly trying to read his enemy correctly. He had seen only five and moves in to strike. Of course, the father blocks the blows but there is a smile whenever the boy accurately takes advantage of the 'weaknesses' in his form.

Time has passed, although the child is not sure by how much. He knows that he is hot and sweaty; he understands that he is growing tired and the muscles in his limbs are beginning to burn. Frowning, he breaks from his father, jumping back, hand digging in his pack. He pulls out three kunai and throws them expertly, remembering the lessons from one of father's old teammates. Immediately after he throws three shuriken.

By the time his feet hit the ground the first three projectiles have been dispatched by three opposing kunai. The shuriken the man merely side steps, at the same time throwing three sets of kunai one after the other. He pauses for one second before he throws out a final set that the boy won't immediately catch.

The first set the boy dodges, the second he back flips out of the way, the third he turns on his heel, barely dodging. He can feel the wind from one of the weapons as it breezes by. The child is only used to his father throwing three sets at different intervals for him to attempt to dodge so when the fourth set comes into the boy's field of vision at an angle he is surprised. He hesitates and slightly panics, realizing that he had been growing complacent with his training. He had become used to a specific regimen, the very thing his father told him not to do. The boy laughs at himself inwardly for not seeing what his father had been doing for the past few weeks, especially when he had warned him from the beginning.

Of course, that doesn't matter right now, for the damage is done and he will not be able to dodge this set without becoming somewhat wounded. Without even thinking it, he begins to push chakra from all of his chakra points in an attempt to perform a jutsu he has yet to master.

The boy spins and a physical barrier of chakra emerges around him. He can hear the first two kunai bounce off harmlessly and then everything goes wrong. He cannot hold the jutsu properly and it backfires on him, causing the barrier to break and knocking him completely off balance. The sting of the last kunai blade hits his cheek and his body feels as if every chakra point in his body has all but exploded. He doesn't hear himself as he cries out, he just feels the ground when he hits it. Hard.

----

Mentally Neji sighs as he watches his son hesitate at the new addition to the training regime. He had informed the child weeks ago to always expect the unexpected and had purposefully kept things at a standard in an attempt to see if the child would become complacent. He did but at least he can see that the child has realized it all too late.

Hinata is going to kill me for bringing Rashi home with kunai wounds.

Of course, one did not learn unless one experienced, even if he is also unhappy about it harming his son. He would be doing the child no favors if he coddled him and did not give him realistic scenarios from potential missions. Better he be scratched now than stabbed later.

But this is the son of Hyuuga Neji and he should have remembered that the child sometimes did rather interesting and innovative things to surprise him. This time, however, it is not surprise that fills the father; he is absolutely stunned.

Did his son just perform the Kaiten? At ten years old?

Well, tried to, in any case. He had the basic understanding of it down but the execution was flawed and it back lashed on him. Sympathy fills him, once upon a time that had been him when he had been trying to learn it on his own. He knows how the boy feels.

He rushes to his son's side, who at this point is slightly shaking from the aftereffects of putting his body through so much strain from overusing his chakra. Gently, he pulls the boy into his arms, looking over to see if anything else was damaged. His chakra network looked fine, just strained. There was only one cut on his cheek from the kunai blade which wasn't bleeding profusely.

"Rashi," he says gently "Are you alright?" it should be a rhetorical question because Neji is well aware that the boy is not alright, he is in pain. The father's vision returns to normal as he deactivates his Byakugan.

A pain filled frown on his face, Rashi's eyes open, taking in his father's worried expression. The boy sighed and struggled to sit up.

"That was…" he began "supposed to have…been a surprise."

Rashi pulls himself up into a kneeling position but his body is still shaking and he still looks as if he is in pain.

"Where on earth did you learn that technique?" the father wants to know. Neji knew how he had discovered it, but he kept better track of his son than his uncle had of him. "Has Hanabi been giving you extra training?"

The boy shakes his head "I saw you…perform it once while you were with Tenten-san and Lee-san a few months ago. I have been trying to master it but…" he gives his father a wry smile "you saw what happened."

"Wait, you saw me perform it once?" the father was truly amazed. Rashi's analytical skills were above average in comparison to his peers but this was on an entirely different level. It had taken him well over a year to fully grasp everything concerning the Kaiten and then months before he had been able to perfect it.

"Yes…" the child begins to rub his arms shakily and his father puts a hand on his back to keep him steady. "It was only that one time but…I underestimated the complexity of the technique. It is…easier said than done."

Motioning for the boy to put his arms around his neck the father grabbed the child's legs and positioned him comfortably for the walk back to the compound "Do you understand where your mistake lies?"

He felt the boy's nod against his back "The technique requires you to release chakra from all of your chakra points on a rather massive scale and the speed of the rotation produces a shield that parries and pushes back attacks. However, you have to distribute the chakra evenly through all of the points, if you don't, you end up trying to overcompensate, straining your body, your chakra points, and the technique fails completely." He sighed "I can't seem to be able to distribute my chakra evenly. It's strong in certain areas and weak in others."

"Yes, it is exactly as you say." The father confirms "But Rashi, the fact that you can perform the technique at all at your age is not something to take lightly. I was twelve when I mastered it. If you wish, I can show you techniques that will help you in correct chakra distribution, it will make things much easier."

Neji felt the child's hesitation "Who taught you, father?"

"No one." He admitted "Everything about the Gentle Fist I initially discovered on my own. At the time, someone of my station would not have been taught those techniques."

A pause. "…Then I'd like to figure it out on my own, if that's alright." Rashi sounds a little unsure, as if concerned that his father will disapprove.

Closing his eyes briefly, Neji smiles slightly "Very well. Just try not to worry your mother too much."

Nodding enthusiastically, his grip on his father tightens, as if trying to give the older man a grateful hug. He understands his son's need to prove himself and his desire to make his father proud. The latter is unnecessary, the father has been proud of his son since the first day he laid eyes on him. Had his own father been alive he would have probably been the same way; trying to work hard just to see the smile of approval.

Rashi tries hard to live up to the expectations of the clan and their claims that he is a genius and a prodigy. Neji doesn't really care for this, because his son could quickly burn himself out when he's already reached levels that normal Hyuuga could never even hope to achieve. The boy doesn't understand that he's already proven himself time and time again; he's already proven the claims to be true.

Perhaps he gets that from his mother; the constant need to prove that he is of use and not a burden.

The smells of home cooking drift to his senses and he smiles when he hears his son's stomach growl rather loudly. Neji can feel the heat on the boy's face as he blushes in embarrassment.

"Hungry?" the father teases.

"S-sorry…" he says it almost shyly, burying his face in his father's back.

Walking inside he sets the boy down on one of the high chairs in the kitchen. Rashi is shaking less but it will take a few hours before he will be at full condition to do anything. He gets his son a glass of water and hands it to him.

"That will help with some of your shaking." He tells his son "Try to continue to keep yourself hydrated for the rest of the day, it'll help with the headache."

Pale eyes identical to his mother's blinks in surprise "How did you…oh." He smiles wryly "Personal experience and all that."

Neji smiles warmly at his son and puts a hand through the boy's dark hair, thumb lightly brushing over the metal from his headband.

"When is your next mission, by the way?" he inquires "You haven't told us how you like your team either."

Slight frustration and irritation moves through Rashi and he looks to the side, slightly disgruntled "The missions are asinine and a waste of time." He mutters darkly "And my teammates are…" another sigh "One of them I am almost positive is an idiot of epic proportions and the other is…" he shudders "Why are girls placed in three man squads?" comes the abrupt question "They should all be placed together until they stop acting insane and can properly focus on missions."

This time he did laugh out loud, gently grabbing the back of the boy's head and pressing his forehead against his "To be honest," he whispers to his son "I also felt the same way about my team when I was a genin. I thought girls were a waste to the proper balance of a solid team because all they seemed to care about was boys and gossip. I was luckier than others; Tenten is a tomboy so she wasn't quite as bad."

"I don't understand girls." Rashi complains "They're not at all logical and they're…clingy. Did I mention insane, father?"

"Yes son, you mentioned that females are insane."

"You're just trying to indulge me now." The boy pouted "When I was in the academy the girls my age kept flocking together to surround me and tell me how…cute I am." He said the word 'cute' as if it were something disgusting "I'm a boy! Boys are not cute! When I tell them to take it back they just giggle and keep doing it. It's really annoying. I'm just glad my female teammate is only slightly less insane than the others." He muttered the last part.

The older Hyuuga's lips twitch just a bit "Those are called fan girls." He explained "You're going to have to get used to them, I'm afraid. It only gets worse."

There's a dramatic groan of pain and suffering his son emits right as his mother walks in. Her brows immediately furrow in concern as she walks over to the two males "Rashi?" she asks "Are you alright?"

"He's fine." Neji reassures her, placing a hand on top of his son's head "He's just at the age where girls are giving him unwanted attention."

Rashi gives his mother a pleading look "Why can't all females be as sane and quiet as you mother?" he asks "I feel as if I'm a huge piece of meat thrown into a pit full of ravenous wolves whenever they're around."

Hinata opens her mouth, closes it, then giggles, turning away slightly so as not to be too rude. "I'm sorry, Rashi. You'll just have to be strong and endure."

Crossing his arms, the boy sighs "At the very least they could have paired me with the Uchiha," he continues to gripe "He's a brat and I hate him but at least he's intelligent and skilled. Instead I got Inuzuka, who isn't too terrible when she's silent, and one of the Uzumaki twins." He looked as if saying the name brought him physical pain. "Aren't there rules about how intelligent you should be in order to become a ninja? There has to be some standards, surely."

The father could hardly argue when his wife moved close and whispered in his ear 'he's exactly like you when you were his age'. Which, of course, she found to be amusing. Hopefully in a few years he'd grow out of his 'arrogant' and 'slightly conceited' phase through life experiences and missions. Like he had been as a child, Rashi was unable to understand when others did not seem to grasp concepts as easily as he and when it happened he felt it was because they were unintelligent. It didn't help that regardless of what the boy said, he and Uchiha Kosuke were best friends, if not rivals. They both challenged each other constantly, genius versus genius. Both of them were the same age, both of them had graduated from the academy at ten. It was a good thing that Iruka paired them the way he had, two arrogant but skilled boys in one team was a waste, not to mention a headache.

At least Itachi is older…she's really the one to look out for.

He had to admit though; he did feel a little bad for his son. As much as he liked Naruto, the guy had been dense as a kid. Why Hinata had held her crush on him for so long was beyond his comprehension.

"Are you hurt?" his wife's sweet voice chimes in as she begins to look over her son "You were cut…" she frowns slightly and begins to rummage for the first aid kit.

"It's just a scratch, mother." The boy says, frowning "Please don't worry about me."

"Well, all the same you should at least clean it." She insists and neither male decides to argue. When it came to the wellbeing of her son, Hinata was slightly overprotective and fretful. They understood it was because during her first marriage she had been abused, a lot of it over protecting her son. It was a constant reminder that the woman they love is forever scarred and while it angers them, there is little they can do besides indulge her.

Rashi says nothing as his mother cleans and bandages the cut on his cheek although Neji can see the sadness in his son's eyes. The boy is also overprotective of his mother; he simply does not realize it. It is hard for him to see this at times, knowing that for those first six years they had both suffered in different ways and he had failed to be there to properly protect them.

Hinata kisses her son's cheek, to which he of course protests to ("I'm not a baby anymore mother!"), and goes to finish lunch for everyone.

"Are you feeling better?" Neji asks his son. The boy nods. "Then we should go and let your mother finish lunch in peace. We won't be training any more today, perhaps you could spend some time with Hanako."

Hopping down off the high chair the boy makes a soft noise of annoyance at the prospect of spending time with his little cousin. Hanabi's child was only five years old but she was already incredibly bossy and heavily spoiled.

"Can't I just spend time with you instead?" Rashi asks, his pale eyes hopeful. "I don't…I don't like playing with her dolls and doing those tea party things. A-and then she cries and…" raising his hands he begins to poke his fingers together "It's really awkward."

The father takes note of his son's nervous habit with amusement. It was the first time he'd seen the boy take after Hinata in such a manner. In many ways Rashi took after his father personality-wise. In many ways, especially when placed in awkward situations that nine times out of ten involved a female, he began to stutter and became extremely nervous. Whenever Hanako started crying Rashi would always look as if the world had just imploded in his face and his movements became very jerky and strained.

In short, Rashi couldn't deal with the opposite sex well and so preferred to avoid them altogether.

"Ah…f-father…" the boy begins, trying to change the subject in hopes that Neji would forget his suggestion to see his cousin "Earlier you were talking about how no one would train you because of your 'station'. What did you mean by that?"

Neji stops walking and his face becomes impassive as he looks into his child's curious eyes and expression. Inwardly, he debates on whether or not he wishes to tell the boy the truth and then decides that he will discover the answer sooner or later if he remains silent. "Come with me."

Nervously, Rashi follows his father; the man's severe tone is bringing about indecision. Does he want to take the question back? Should he just tell his father that it's okay not to talk about it? Neji briefly sees those questions move over his son's face as Rashi drags a little behind him.

Opening the door to his old room, he motions for his son to enter first. Warily he walks inside, unknowing the significance of the room. The father motions for his son to sit on his bed and he complies, his fingers beginning to poke together due to nerves. He sits on the ground in front of his son, legs crossed Indian style.

"Before you were born," Neji begins "this clan was split into two, a main and a branch house. Basically, the branch members were to serve and protect the main house members and the clan had methods to keep them in line. Branch members were not allowed to know the secrets of the main house, the techniques I taught myself were technically forbidden to me, but I learned them anyway. When I was fourteen your uncle Hiashi, the previous clan leader, dissolved the main and branch houses, merging us into one united clan. Your aunt Hanabi has made it so that heirs are not determined by birth but rather by bloodline and skill."

Rashi's eyes widened "Is that why…she made me heir?"

"Yes. You have extraordinary talent and natural leadership abilities. She believes strongly in your ability to someday rule the clan."

Understanding the severity of the situation the boy's eyes shift to the floor, heavily in thought. "If the branch house was a house of, basically, servants, I am assuming that it was the larger house numerically."

"That is correct."

"To keep servants under control they would need to have something substantial enough to drive fear into them, so that they would not try to overthrow the power house." Rashi reasoned, frowning in thought "Keeping them ignorant also ensures that they hold power over them, meaning that the techniques you've learned are advanced forms of the Gentle Fist that had been coveted by the main house." Rashi's voice was low, thoughtful and bordering on anger.

He is his father's son. "Yes, Rashi, that is exactly how the clan functioned at the time. Hiashi-sama and my father were born twins, but Hiashi-sama was born first, so he was declared heir and my father was sent to the branch house to serve and protect him."

The boy shook his head, confused "Why would you split the main bloodline like that? There is a difference between a distant relative and a sibling. Wouldn't you want to keep them instead? What if the other child turns out to be unsuitable for the position?"

"Control purposes. My father was sent to the branch house, it ensured that in the future there was no blood feud over who should be heir because my father couldn't become heir. It was impossible. As for lack of suitability, that was not something the Hyuuga would accept. We considered ourselves an elite clan, we are old and powerful, this much is true. In short, as far as everyone else is concerned, there was no such thing as an 'unsuitable heir', making the system flawless."

"That doesn't make any sense, why isn't mother clan leader then? She was born first."

Neji smiled thinly "Because, they considered her to be an unsuitable heir." He allowed that to sink in for a moment before speaking again "Which, to be honest, is incorrect. Your mother was not unsuitable, she had just needed a different method of instruction and it was denied to her due to our clan's rigid structure."

There was a long moment of silence. "Father, you told me that the main house kept the branch members in line…but you did not tell me how. I don't understand what methods they could have used to instill enough fear so that you would not revolt against them."

With a small sigh Neji removed his headband and unwrapped the bandages. When Rashi could see the curse mark his eyes widened and he looked almost appalled.

"W-what…father what is that?" ah yes, he was definitely appalled.

"This is what kept us in line, so to speak." The father explained "Once placed it can never be removed and it gave the main branch complete and total control over us. Activated, the seal grants us with unimaginable pain and can, if left long enough, kill us. In addition, if I am killed in battle, the enemy will be unable to acquire my eyes, something you will learn more in depth about in the future. It kept the 'pure' bloodline limited and granted a higher chance of our secrets staying within our walls."

The pained look on his son's face tore at him. If he had had the choice he wouldn't have told the boy at all. Let the new generation not even know about such things, let the prejudices die, promoting true unity within the clan. But Rashi was intelligent and he was a curious child, learning about it from someone or something else would have made things worse.

When his son's shaky hand raised, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, feeling tiny fingers move across his forehead.

"I…" the boy begins but the words die on him. "I…have no words."

Gently he takes the boy's hand and looks at him kindly. "If you wish to do me any favors concerning this mark," Neji tells him "when you become clan head, continue to ensure that these are never placed on another Hyuuga. Continue to pass those beliefs to your children when you have them." he began to rewrap the bandages "The fact that I am sitting here with my son who is not only unmarked but heir to the clan is nothing short of a blessing. These are things my predecessors would have thought impossible." His fingers brush over Rashi's headband and he smiles bitter sweetly "It is something I had thought impossible years ago. As a father, I am thankful for every day that you remain unmarked; were your grandfather alive, I believe he would feel the same relief I do."

Rashi nods, remaining silent because he knows if he speaks he will cry and he does not enjoy crying in front of his father. The older male watches as the boy struggles between emotions, from sadness to disbelief to anger and frustration. It pleases him, but it also saddens him.

The father stands and motions for his son to follow "Now then, I believe your cousin might enjoy some company. I understand that she is young and so is clingy and, to you, annoying, but she also has no friends. She has no one her age to interact with besides you. I am sure this makes her very lonely, which is why she's always so happy to see you."

A small sound escapes his son as he looks up at his father in surprise. He opens his mouth and then closes it. With a small, sad smile he looks down at the ground "I feel like an ignorant ass." He says. "Forgive my pretentiousness, I should think about other's feelings instead of my own…that is what a good leader would do, right?"

Neji not-so -gently tugs on his son's ponytail, causing the boy to cry out "Don't let your mother hear you speak like that." He warned "I'll never hear the end of it." Especially since you probably get it from me. "But yes, a good leader thinks of others before themselves."

Rubbing the back of his head he looks up at his father "I…want to be a leader that you would be proud of." He says solemnly "I want to fulfill your wishes."

Neji smiles "Ah. Well, since I am proud of you now, I suppose you merely need to continue the path you are on, correct?"

The look on the child's face is priceless; it is his first time telling his son that he is proud of him and it is something Neji believes he has needed to hear. Before the boy says anything he pushes the child ahead.

"Go," he says calmly but firmly "spend time with your cousin until your mother calls you for lunch."

Still beaming, the boy who is years ahead of himself yet still a child nods and actually takes off around the corner. Once he is out of hearing range Neji turns his head towards the other side of the hallway. "You have been listening this entire time?"

His wife peeks out from around the corner, her face a mixture between sadness and happiness. Hugging herself, she approaches her husband. "I had…really hoped we wouldn't have had to tell him about that until he was much older." Her pearl-like eyes shift to meet his silver "But now I'm glad that you did. I was so worried that…" she bit her lip "but…he's strong. S-sometimes I forget that."

"Hm." Gently, he pulls Hinata into his arms "I don't think you forget it so much as it is difficult for you to see him as anything other than your baby, which is fine. Mother's are allowed that privilege." Bending down he kisses her forehead "And he gets his strength from you." Framing her face in his hands he dips his head "The strongest of us all." He murmurs just before he kisses her.