"Faster."

Her feet slipped against the polished wooden floor, and she struggled to keep her footing.

"Stronger."

Her fists pounded against the target, the thick fabric barely caving to her attacks.

"Better."

Her breath came in ragged gasps, falling to all fours and panting. Muscles spasmed, overworked and overtired.

Silence. Then -

"This is meaningless." His deep voice seemed to reverberate in her bones, each serving as a blow to her ribs. "Do not bother coming back tomorrow...you will never be good enough. Do not waste your time."

His footsteps echoed in the dojo, fading into silence after the door clacked shut.

The panting continued, but soon began to hiccup and sniff as tears slipped from her cheeks to the floor.

She was never good enough.

Nothing she did was good enough.

Especially now that he had her little sister to compare her to.

Moving back to sit on her legs, she wiped at her cheeks and struggled to control her breathing.

A kunoichi did not cry.

But could she even call herself by that name?

Was he right in telling her not to bother?

Was she really the failure he painted her to be?

Staggering to her feet, she remained until her breathing had calmed.

No.

He had to be wrong.

After all, he had taught her perseverance.

So, she would waste her time...until she proved him wrong.

Hello lovely readers!

So, I've decided to go ahead and upload my 365 Day Writing Challenge drabbles from deviantART over here to Fanfiction! And I've decided to organize them in several ways: Hinata-centric drabbles, Itachi-centric, ItaHina-centric, stand alone stories, and even a few with an RPC of mine! If a fic is short and not really it's own story, it will be uploaded as a part of the drabble stories as individual chapters. This fic "Don't Waste Your Time", for example, is the first "chapter" of the Hinata-centric drabbles, which I've grouped together and called, "Kind Determination". So, for any little Hinata drabbles that aren't full short stories, look here!

Anyway, this little fic was written for the prompt, "Don't Waste Your Time". I'm always sad to see Hinata's struggles, but I know that they make her the great character she is!

I hope you enjoyed this little drabble! If you did, feel free to leave me a little note in a review! I always enjoy hearing from you all n_n

~BlackRoseDragon13