The pale-skinned boy flipped back from the assault, pushing his chakra into his legs to power him into a tree. His silver-haired opponent dug his foot into the dirt to stop himself, smirking confidently at the tree the boy landed in.
"Come on Hebisuken, I know you can do better than that!" He taunted and Hebisuken stuck his tongue out at the silver haired boy with Hyuuga eyes below him. Brushing the dark brown strands of hair out of his yellow snake-like eyes, he contemplated how to get even with his opponent. At least his olive green shirt and pants blended in with the wood, which would make it more difficult for his sparring companions to see him.
"How you doing Hebisuken? Doing all right?" He almost jumped; whipping around, he saw a black-haired, black-eyed girl crouched on the branch next to him: his other teammate. Her blue dress, wrapped around the middle with bandages, draped over the branches, emblazoned with the Uchiha symbol on the chest and skirt half. The sun gleamed off her headband, which was tied around her waist. The strangest thing about her, though, was her blue skin and the presence of small scales and apparently gills on her neck.

"Oh shut up, Uotani. You haven't made a move this entire battle." The girl stuck her tongue out at him angrily and gave him a shove, causing him to scream and fall out of the tree amidst her laughter. Although he landed in moss, it still stung as Hebisuken got up, brushing the grass from the black long-sleeve under his sleeveless shirt.
"Very funny, Uotani!" He yelled up at her as she waved, then pointed at something in front of him. His eyes, rimmed in purple and sharpening into a point near his nose, twisted in confusion and he turned to see his other companion facing him. The boy, dressed in blue pants, was smirking at him, arms crossed over his black collared jacket. Through the v-cut of the top, a simple mesh shirt was visible.
"Are you giving up already Hebisuken?" He asked mockingly, tossing his long silver ponytail behind him. The pale Hyuuga eyes were making fun of him, provoking him.
"Not by a long shot, Shirubake! I have tricks you've never seen before!" Shirubake snorted but slid into a defensive stance, pulling a kunai from his pouch. Performing a set of hand seals, a snake sprung from Hebisuken's mouth and from it, a sword. The pale-skinned boy grabbed hold of it and proceeded to attack his opponent.

Their sensei, Seijou, watched all this from the sidelines. How did he get stuck with this team? He thought, watching the boys fight. Theirs was the strangest team Konoha had had in a long time, especially considering their heritage. Uotani Uchiha, the lead kunoichi from the academy, was genetically a fish, a trait passed on by her great great grandfather, the famous Sasuke Uchiha. Hebisuken, one of the oddballs of the genin, was the great great grandson of Sakura, who in turn was the daughter of Orochimaru. And Shirubake was the great great grandson of Kabuto Hyuuga, a hero of Konoha after his exposure as a Konoha double agent, and the only one in five generations to have the recessive silver-haired gene. Yes, they were certainly the strangest team in Konoha: a fish, a snake, and a silver-haired Hyuuga. A girl's scream of triumph and the sudden crash of water shook Seijou-sensei from his reverie and the first thing he saw was a large wave of water rushing towards his two male students. Uotani was standing in the tree, smiling victoriously as the water rushed from the container on her back into the field, drowning her opponents in a good five feet of water. Hebisuken was the first to get up, shaking the water off his head and wringing his clothes dry.
"Damn it Uotani! Why do you always have to do that!?" He fumed, shaking his head like a dog in an attempt to get her wet.
"Just to annoy you!" She grinned maliciously, forming the seal tiger with her hands and sucking all the water back into the container on her back. Shirubake sighed, spinning in a tight circle reminiscent of Hakkesho Kaiten, whipping water droplets from his hair.
"Alright guys, time to head out for lunch." Seijou announced smiling and Uotani punched the air.
"Alright, I win again!"
"No fair! Seijou-sensei always stops the battle after you get the upper hand!" Hebisuken complained and Shirubake sighed, giving himself another shake. The four of them walked away from the sodden field, heading towards the famous Shiraku ramen.

Stretching her arms wide to let the sun shine through the webbing between her fingers, Uotani stared up at the sky as she walked down the street. People on the sidewalks gawked at her strange appearance and those she could catch, she glared at. Sometimes being an Uchiha was more trouble than it was worth. The stares, the questions, the jokes… it was impossible to fit in, but it was especially hard for her. Uotani was one of the few females to be affected by the genetic alteration and it didn't help that her two brothers were normal. Both her uncle, the one who taught her the water jutsu she now used, and her father were fish, the closest relatives to be so, as her mother was not affected. Uotani sighed as she thought of her father. She knew he was alive somewhere; She was sure of it! How hard could it be to find someone with fish scales and gills! But still, he technically declared dead, having been MIA for over five years. The blue-skinned girl, knew it had been nine. Training -and this team- had been her escape for those nine years. Her teammates were the only other people who could possibly understand her outcast status and loneliness. Uotani looked them over now, the ragtag genetically strange group. Hebisuken was marching happily down the street while Shirubake and Seijou-sensei chatted calmly. These three were all unaccepted because of what their genes and heritage gave them. The fish girl dismissed these thoughts though as they approached the Shiraku ramen shop; it was never a good idea to bring bad thoughts to the table. As Uotani sat down, Hebisuken settled on her left, Seijou-sensei on her right, and Shirubake beyond him. The Hyuuga kid always seemed to set himself apart from everyone else, but it had become routine by now, and nobody worried.

"Well then, look who it is! My regular customers, right on time. What'll it be?" Musabe asked, leaning over the counter. They ordered the usual, the pattern they always followed. This shop was the fourth of it's kind, having been in Musabe's family for generations: ever since the third Hokage. Hebisuken looked up at the Hokage monument now, the rock crowded with their stone faces. Although there were nine altogether, the boy focused on the third: Sandaime, famous for defending his village during the Sand/Sound invasion and more importantly, defeating Orochimaru. That face caused him the most pain to look at. A direct reminder that his family had been traitors, untrusted by even the most forgiving villagers. He sighed, spinning his miso noodles in a circle with his chopsticks. Sure, there may have been reason not to trust his family back then, a hundred years ago, but this was now! His family were Konoha shinobi, born and raised with its heart of fire. Sakura herself had been left here, raised as a Konoha shinobi instead of Sound. Deciding to forget about the past, Hebisuken decided to focus on the present: more specifically about ten minutes ago, when Uotani had covered him in water. He hated water, and Uotani knew that. Which was why he was out for revenge…

Uotani's scream of outrage brought Shirubake's attention away from his beef lo-mein as he leaned forwards to peer down the counter at her. She was soaking wet with ice melting all over her hair and dress, a look of shock and rage on her face. Whipping around in the stool with a stare that would have put a Hyuuga to shame, she was greeted by much laughter from Hebisuken, who was holding an empty glass. Not getting rid of the evidence, Shirubake thought as he slurped another noodle, a very bad move on his part.
"You snaky brat!" Uotani screamed, getting up and chasing him around the ramen bar. Amid his laughter and her cries of vengeance, the crash of one or more glasses rang with a tinkling sound along with Musabe's plea for them not to wreck his shop. Shirubake sighed, turning back to his noodles. Seijou-sensei could take care of those yelling nitwits for now; Finishing his food was more important currently.

"Shirubake, hide meee!" Hebisuken yelled, spinning the Hyuuga in his chair and darting behind him. Slightly startled, the silver-haired boy was now faced by a fuming Uotani, whose fists were clenched as hard as her jaw was.
"Shiru-kun, get out of the way so I can kill Hebi-kun…" Uotani growled, clenching her fists angrily.
"Don't do it, Shirubake-san!" Hebisuken pleaded, giving Shirubake the puppy dog eyes he always used when he was in trouble with Uotani. Shirubake sighed, preparing to defuse the situation between the two.
"Look, Uotani. You're a fish. Water shouldn't bother you that much." She opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her.
"Further more, you two need to stop wrecking Musabe's shop. Now," He sighed, standing and brushing off his jacket.
"I'm going home. See you two tomorrow." He said, waving to his comrades and heading towards the Hyuuga compound. Behind his back, Uotani gave Hebisuken a death glare, to which he smiled sheepishly.

The streets of Konoha had never really changed. Anyone could trace the path of the Hokage, or the steps of their ancestors down these roads, which intrigued Shirubake to no end. His great great grandfather Kabuto could have walked these roads to the academy or his home. His homes, actually. One at the Yakushi household and his room at the Hyuuga compound. The silver-haired boy looked up the Hokage monument, at the Third and Fifth Hokages. Sandaime had first sent his ancestor on a spy mission at the age of eight. After 13 years of double crossing and sneaking, the Fifth Hokage brought Kabuto Hyuuga out of hiding and into his home town with the overthrow of Orochimaru. Shirubake had done much research on his past, being the second Hyuuga born with the recessive silver gene. Feeling a kinship as Kabuto's genetic heir, he had learned all about his relative, all the history and treachery behind the scenes. But learning had changed Shirubake. The boy knew that, had realized it a long time ago while walking down a street like the one he was currently traveling. Having changed his name from Hyuuga to Yakushi, what name did Kabuto leave his descendants? Some, like the elder Hyuuga, would say that Kabuto never ceased being a Hyuuga, or that he returned to his family name when he came back. But to Shirubake it was more personal. The Kabuto everyone had known was a Yakushi, despite what his eyes said. The same problem transposed itself on his genetic successor. Was he a Hyuuga, or a Yakushi? True he didn't share the blood of a Yakushi, but his ancestor had taken on the name. Shirubake didn't know quite what his last name was either. Reaching the gate of the Hyuuga compound, Shirubake walked onto the property, although internally unsure of whether he should be here.