Strong
Summary: Kurenai only hopes that maybe she's finally done some good in his world.
Rated: PG
Word Count: 686

Kurenai doesn't know what to think when she meets her new genin. She initially observes: Kiba is loud, Shino is quiet, and Hinata is blushing.

But she soon gets to know them, discovering their strengths, the things they need to work on, their dreams. Kiba wants to get strong, wants to protect Akamaru and his friends. Shino wants to make his parents proud and someday take over as head of the Aburame Clan. But Hinata, at first Kurenai isn't too sure about her, about what she wants.

It takes a lot of time and coaxing before she learns much about the shy girl. Weeks to earn Hinata's trust, to learn that her father had forsaken her for her younger sister, to find that he viewed his elder daughter as weak and hopeless.

Kurenai, however, can see strength and promise behind Hinata's timid footwork and unsure jutsus. Kuranai goes to Hiashi Hyuuga and is greeted coolly. She regales him with his daughter's potential, of her cleverness and caring heart, but she is rebuffed with accusations of Hinata's weakness and incompetence, of how she will never be strong enough to become his heir despite Konaha's understood rules of succession. He says he pities his daughter and says that her place will someday be in the branch family.

The Hyuuga practice of branding members of the family has always repulsed Kurenai and it disgusts her even more to think that someday Hinata might be held down and tattooed with whispers of her failure for her entire family and all of Konaha to see. To be put down if she is ever perceived as a threat to her sister.

Storming out of the Hyuuga complex, Kurenai makes it her mission to shape Hinata into being the strongest shinobi that she can be. The next day after training, she asks Hinata if she wants to be a shinobi. Forcing her to be one would make Kurenai no better than Hiashi, who may someday put the brand on his daughter himself.

Taken a back, Hinata nods vehemently before whispering, "More than anything. I just want to be strong."

"Why do you want to be strong?" Kurenai asks.

The girl's face takes on a deep red. "I-I-I want N-Naruto-kun to n-notice m-me. I want to b-be worthy."

Kurenai recalls the loud blond on Kakashi's team, and smiles. "Then you hold onto that and you use that to get you through because I'm going to be tough on you. I'm going to work you hard, I'm going to work you to the bone. I'll do anything and everything I can to make you strong. I believe in you, Hinata."

Hinata's eyes begin to water, but she smiles before throwing herself into Kurenai's arms. "That's what I've always wanted," she says softly. "Someone to b-believe in me." And Kurenai can only imagine the childhood Hinata had being rebuked by her own father as being too soft, to gentle. Not enough.

Kurenai is determined to prove Hiashi wrong. She conceded that maybe it wasn't right for her to train Hinata just to prove him wrong, but that was far from the only reason she was doing it. She was doing it to give Hinata the confidence she would need to make it in this world.

When she pulls away, Kurenai can see that Hinata is still smiling. "I won't let you down, sensei."

And she never does.

Hiashi actually shows up to the ceremony following the chuunin exams to watch his daughter get presented with a flak jacket and a set of sterling kunai. He doesn't smile or applaud like everyone else as Hinata puts the jacket on, but later, after the ceremony is over and Hinata rejoins her family, Kurenai does see, after Hanabi hugs her sister and finally let's go, Hiashi briefly place a hand on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata looked up, surprised, but smiles. It isn't as timid as Kurenai remembers Hinata's smiles once being.

Hiashi meets Kurenai's eye from across the room and he nods before leading his daughters out. Kurenai only hopes that maybe she's finally done some good in his world.