A/N: I want to say, thank you to all of you who have reviewed. Reviews are very nice, I like to hear what people like and don't like, and that they enjoy (or don't enjoy) the story. It makes it all the more rewarding as an author.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who is reading my story. I guess if you're reading this chapter, chapter 4, you probably think this story is good enough to keep reading. That is a huge compliment and I only hope I can continue to make the story meaningful and entertaining to you all.
Here is the latest chapter. Enjoy.
000
"Listen up brat; one of the most useful skills you can learn is basic Fuinjutsu. I promise you you'll be using it for the rest of your life. For example, how the hell else could I carry hundreds of kunai with me?" Anko said with a grin. "Now, my student, I'm going to show you how to seal crap, as I don't intend to spend time finding and sealing all those kunai after I've spent a few hours throwing them at you."
Hinata looked a bit nervously (how could you not be around this woman?) as Anko produced a scroll and proceeded to open it and place it on the ground. It was small, maybe two feet by two feet. It was also completely blank.
Anko reached into her coat smiling and produced a pair of kunai, a small ink bottle and a brush. She placed them down and opened the small ink bottle, and dipped the brush in the ink and cleaned off the excess ink on the rim.
"Now watch carefully Hina-chan," she said. Anko deftly drew a near perfect circle in the middle of the square scroll. Hinata watched on as Anko started drawing symbols and kanji on either side of the circle, the young Hyuuga trying to memorize them all as best she could. She was happy to note it was a rather simple design, just a circle in the middle and four different symbols (that looked like kanji, but either she didn't know them or they were really really old) on either side.
Then Anko grabbed one of the kunai she had put aside, and put it in the middle of the circle. She placed both hands over it, and told Hinata "To seal you need to spread your chakra evenly over the whole paper. Then use your will to get the kunai to become one with the symbols. After that, it should be automatic, and the kunai sealing into the paper." After she finished talking the paper began to glow, all the symbols lighting up brighter than the rest of the paper. Then the kunai sank into the paper, leaving in its place the familiar kanji for "kunai" inside the circle.
Hinata stared at it wide eyed and amazed. It seemed like magic… well, to lay people so did ninjutsu or genjutsu, but this was different. She had never seen something solid like a kunai turn into a bunch of ink on paper. It was, in a way… really neat.
"C-can I try sensei?" asked Hinata shyly.
"That's the point of all this Hina-chan." She said in a sing song voice. She motioned for the Hyuuga heiress to kneel across from her in front of the scroll.
"Now," the snake woman began, "in a circle this size, and with the way I have drawn the seal, you'd probably only be able to store five kunai in the circle. This is about as simple as they get." She threw the other kunai she had out on Hinata's lap. "Now you try the sealing."
Hinata grabbed the kunai, and nervously placed it on the circle, putting her hands over it as she had seen Anko do. She took a deep breath, trying not to think about the "what if's " of her getting wrong. Hinata spread he chakra over the kunai, and through the kunai into the paper. She did her best to place a small amount of chakra into the whole thing. When it didn't glow like it had with Anko, she started to get nervous, but realized she was probably using too little chakra and started pumping more into the kunai and paper, while making sure to keep it very even the entire time.
Her heart skip a beat when she saw the paper start to glow, and then the symbols start to glow like they had with sensei. Then slowly the kunai started to glow and sink into the paper, and she did her best to keep her chakra output steady so there wouldn't be any problems. The kunai disappeared altogether from under her hand, and then the glow faded. She took her hand away and looked at the result. There was another kanji for kunai in the circle, the two different kanji for kunai having rearranged each other so they were as far away as possible from each other and from the edges of the circle.
Hinata looked up at her teacher, hoping she wasn't showing as much eagerness as she felt on her face. She had really done it, she had really been able to do it. Yes! She couldn't remember ever getting a skill down right on the first try. Anko though was not looking at her, she was examining the paper. Then she sat back on her heels, crossed her arms and smiled at her, "I didn't think you'd get it on the first try brat. Your chakra control is freaky good, for a genin."
For some reason, the compliment made Hinata feel really embarrassed, but she had to bite her lip for her face not to break into a stupid grin. Her heart and her guts twisted, but in a good way. She was also nervous and afraid at the same time, but at the same time… it also felt good. It did feel good. Her new sensei wasn't a woman she knew very well, but was almost positive by her… forward way of speaking she didn't say anything unless it really was what she was thinking.
But what she said next made her heart and guts twist, but not in a good way.
"Your chakra reserves suck though. I mean they are really, really, and I mean really bad. Compared to a kunoichi genin, they are maybe marginally above average. There isn't a girl's only shinobi world though, so we gotta compare you the boys too. And you don't measure up." she stood up.
Hinata stayed kneeling, looking down at the floor. She was crushed… she wasn't as… stern (read: really nasty) as her father was about it, but she had just said it. Her chakra reserves sucked. She was average for a kunoichi, who despite all political correctness really were weaker than males on average. Boys were born stronger and with bigger chakra reserves. And you don't measure up, her words ringing in her ear. If someone as good and as forward as Anko-san agreed with her father, then it just proved to her that she was useless. She was inherently weak. Deficient. She was…
"So, if I'm gonna turn you into the best kunoichi, no fuck that, the best shinobi this town has ever seen, we're going to have to work on that a lot." She said, hands at her hips and staring dramatically off in the distance.
Hinata just stared at her wide eyed and disbelieving.
Anko then chuckled and scratched the back of her head, "Well, best shinobi ever is probably setting the bar too high right now. Old man Sarutobi and the Yondaime are a tough stick to measure against. Maybe we should go for feared and respected by everyone in the village, and then we go from there." She said to her kneeling student with a smile that was somehow playful, predatory, and completely serious all at the same time.
Hinata gaped at her. She had just finished deriding her about her chakra reserves, and now…
The young Hyuuga's mind cleared out of her funk a bit to see things more clearly. For the first time she realized that Anko had not actually said that she didn't measure, Anko didn't imply that she was deficient and below average and useless… she was just talking about her chakra reserves. In that way she was different from her father. Her father would have seen her low chakra reserves as a sign that she was useless. Anko saw it as a useless trait, a weakness, but (and this was a whole new way of thinking) she didn't think that meant she was useless.
On the contrary… Anko thought…of course not that she could be the greatest shinobi ever, that was quite the joke… but she thought she could be respected and even feared by everyone in the village? Hinata knew experienced shinobi chose their words carefully and considered every possible meaning. She meant everyone?
Even her classmates?
Jounin?
Neji?
The Hokage?
Her Father?
That was… a lot to take in. She put it in the back of her mind. She would process it some other time. And then the thought occurred to her.
Did she want that?
Did she want to be respected?
Yes!
Did she want to be feared?
….
She didn't know how to feel about that. If she could allow herself to have a free flight of fancy and imagine people cowering before her power (like that would ever happen) she… wasn't really into power trips. But it would be nice… to have that ability. Not to use it all the time, just in case … you know … it could come in handy, she guessed.
Anko watched her, watched every little muscle movement, every body posture, every facial contortion, lip movement, movement of the eyes, perspiration, blood flow to the skin. Together she put together a picture, and with accuracy gained from years in interrogation Anko knew in great detail what was going on in her student's mind. She loved fucking with the little genin, the little things were so innocent and easy to manipulate.
Using her skills to try to help someone as opposed to break them however was a new thing for her. She found it wasn't entirely to her disliking. Though she would ask Ibiki if she could torture someone later.
She thought it was about time to seal the deal. "Not many people like me Hinata," she said, breaking the girl out of her reverie, "but they fear me. And thus they respect me. Fear and respect are two sides of the same coin in the shinobi world. If you fear someone, are afraid they could be dangerous even if you are convinced you can beat them, then they will respect you. You will be treated well by everyone that is not your enemy. If you respect someone, in the world of shinobi it is only because of strength. The measure of a shinobi is strength and power,"
"Now, there are some exceptions to this of course. Med-nins for example are highly respected in the ninja world. But if you want the recognition of your clan, and your father, and of most shinobi, the only way is with strength, since that is all they really value, aside from honor and all that horseshit," Hinata gasped a little, never having heard of her clan honor and standing so casually referred to as horseshit, but Anko continued, "but what I want for you is bigger than your clan, though you can do what you want with that,"
"I'm not going to get into details, but there was once a man that was like a father to me. I worshipped him, and he taught me most of what I know," Anko turned her head to the side, the sad look on her face genuine for once, and she did not hide it because she wanted her student to see it, "He was my world. He was my universe. I fought for him. I killed for him. I would have given my life for him," she paused for a moment, lost in memories. Hinata looked on in rapt attention. A part of Anko saw it, confirmed things were going to plan, and continued,
"In the end, after a while, he changed. His priorities changed. He became obsessed with power, and with immortality. Things he used to care about he ceased to care about. People," she stopped, and took a deep steadying breath, almost no theater needed in this case, "he cared about became instruments to further his goals. Other people he cared about became obstacles to his goals. In the end he regarded everything in utilitarian terms, even the little girl he had said he thought of as a little sister."
Anko paused. Hinata did not know what to do or say, so she just sat there, waiting for her to continue. She idly wondered if the little girl Anko was talking about was herself. Somehow, painfully, in the back of Hinata's mind, this story seemed to hit close to home.
"When I no longer could further his ambitions, he told me in no uncertain terms how deficient I was, and that he had grown bored with me and had no further use for me." No tears ran down her cheeks, but some reason Hinata felt like the woman was crying, like they were there but just invisible to even her eyes. Anko stopped, then continued,
"It took me a long time, and some help, to realize that what he thought of me didn't define who I was. In the end I think the biggest lesson was that you can't let the whims of others dictate what you think about yourself and who you are. It's good to let people you find trustworthy close, but it's not good to let them define who you are. That should be left up to you. Sometimes it can be hard to keep what people think and what you choose to think about yourself apart. And with you, I can see it is all fucked up,"
Hinata blushed a little at this, and wondered why she didn't feel bad at being called all fucked up, but she kept her silence, listening to her teacher standing over her.
"So I want to make you into a fucking badass, and help you decide who you want to be. I expect you to be heavily influenced by me, I'd be disappointed if you weren't and maybe a bit insulted quite frankly, and I'm going to do my best to turn you into a dangerous pit viper. I'm going to turn you into me, as much as our clashing personality types will allow, and once you are strong enough to stand up to your family you can decide just what brand of crazy you want to be," she took a deep breath.
"I'm asking you to trust me Hinata. When I say you can do it, I want you to believe me. It's hard, and it's a lot of trust, but that is the only real way a true student and sensei relationship can work. And… that's all I have to say!" she suddenly turned from her serious voice to a higher pitched and cheery voice, and it slapped Hinata out of the trance like attention she had been giving the woman, "and no, you don't have to answer me, that would too awkward for you! Kurenai arranged it so you'll go to her place and you can tell her whatever you want to say. Unless you tell her not to share I'll hear about it later anyways."
She smiled down at the girl (who was still reeling from all the going ons in the last several minues), and it wasn't a nice smile, "Now let's get back to work." She was sure her manipulation had worked. Now it was just a waiting game.
Anko started going through her pouches, and produced two scrolls, one of them very large and the other one much smaller. She threw them at Hinata, who caught them, still in mid shock, trying to absorb and digest everything that had been transpired in the last few minutes. It might have been why she asked lamely a few seconds later, "Um… what are these?"
The Special Jounin however did not jump on her shit. See, she did have SOME compassion. Instead she said, "Scrolls. Read the bigger one first. The big one is Fuinjutsu fundamentals. The smaller one is a surprise, but you only get to read the surprise if you read the other scroll first." She said with a mischievous wink. "If you're going to study with me, have them read and memorized by next week. They are yours to keep in any case."
"Um… t-thank you sensei." Hinata said. She knew she was being odd, still feeling like she had information overload, bust still got a thankful smile on her face for her teacher.
"Yea, no problem Hina-chan. Now, let's talk about how we are going to increase you chakra reserves." Anko pulled yet another scroll from somewhere in her cloak. Hinata wondered if that cloak was really practical and mobile in combat. She assumed it was, since she took it everywhere, and she seemed to be able to carry copious amounts of stuff in it. Maybe an idea?
The Special Jounin spread the scroll out on the floor. It was the same scroll from that morning, Hinata recognized the same color and markings and the whole fifteen foot length. After kneeling down and putting some of her chakra into it, again hundreds of kunai came out.
"Now Hina-chan," Anko began. "There are two hundred and twenty kunai in this scroll, now all laid out here on the ground. Try putting back as many as you can. As fast as you can."
Hinata scooted over to the large scroll, pushed some of the kunai to the side so the symbols underneath were exposed. She noticed that in this scroll there was not a circle, but instead a large rectangular outline running the length of it. There were many more small symbols (kanji?) drawn along the length of the rectangle. Some she recognized as the same as the other eight, and others were quite different.
She began at the end, and grabbed one kunai. It went much the same as the first one, except she had to expend a lot more chakra to activate the whole scroll and get the kunai to sink into it. Then she grabbed the next, and repeated the process.
By the time she finished her tenth, she was starting to feel the strain. It did take some chakra to perform. Sweat started to bead down her body and Hinata's heart rate started to climb. Her breathing rate started to increase. But she was going to keep doing it until she couldn't do it anymore.
She was trying to seal her twenty first kunai when she was unable to finish it. The kunai just harmlessly popped back on onto the paper, and she herself fell down on all fours, breathing hard from the exertion.
"That's about your limit kid, twenty kunai" said Anko as she stood over Hinata. "So you have some reference, I can seal all two hundred and twenty into the seal. And even then I won't be anywhere near my limit. So what does that tell you about our difference in chakra?" Asked Anko.
Hinata breathed hard, and thought about it. She may not be strong, but she was smart and quick minded (when she wasn't crippled by some form of being self conscious). That she could do 20 and her sensei over 220 meant that her sensei had at least 11 times the amount of chakra she had.
"Sensei," she said while sucking wind, but her breathing was slowing, "it means your chakra reserves are more than 11 times mine."
Anko smiled, "Actually, they are quite a bit bigger than that, but it'd be stupid for a shinobi to go around telling everyone just how much chakra they have, now wouldn't it?" but then she got a serious tone. "However, it's not just a one to one equivalent with sealing kunai. My chakra control is also incredibly better than yours, so it takes less chakra for me to seal a kunai in the scroll than it does you. That also goes for performing any jutsu,"
"So, as I'm sure you are aware, the more you use your chakra the faster it grows. What you may not know is that the fastest natural way to get your chakra to increase is to use it to exhaustion, like you just did right now. The more you do that, the faster your chakra reserves will grow,"
Hinata didn't like the sound of that… she didn't feel really good right now, forcing yourself to use just about all your chakra was not a pleasant feeling.
"That means Hina-chan, twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, I'm going to unseal this scroll and you're going to put all the kunai back into it," Hinata had to fight the urge to groan, "and that will build your chakra reserves. In the morning I'll leave a few minutes for you to do this, so the focus then will be to do it as fast as you can until exhaustion. In the evening you're just going to sit here and not get your ass up until you seal every last kunai back into the scroll." Anko had a positively evil look on her face. Hinata shuddered.
If the girl is lucky she'll be able to get them all back in the scroll in under three hours, thought Anko. Pushing yourself and then taking small breaks and then pushing yourself to use you chakra over and over again feels like shit and mildly like torture. Haha I guess training does let me have some of that old fashioned fun again after all. And it is the fastest way to safely build up her chakra reserves, which she will desperately need for what I have in store for her.
"Well, that's it kid," Anko said to the young Hyuuga, "when you get done here, roll up those two scrolls" she motioned to the two open ones on the floor, "and bring them with you in the morning. If you're not coming you can just give them to Kurenai. Go to her house after this. If you take the road from the Hokage monument west it's about three quarters of a mile. It's the red one on the right with all the plants everywhere."
The Special Jounin finished, and it was clear she was about to go. The tired Hinata felt it was her duty though, so she got to her feet slowly and bowed to her still temporary sensei, "Um… t-thank you for everything Anko-sensei."
Almost instantly Hinata felt cut deep into her neck. A kunai had been thrown at her, from the front, and on instinct the girl straightened up and got ready to fight…
Only to feel a hand grab her hair and another grab her shoulder from behind on the same side as her new ugly cut, and yanked her head and shoulder apart, hard. Hinata had a second to register how exposed her neck was when she felt teeth bite down over the wound.
Behind her, a leg pushed her hips forward until she was horribly off balance, and the only thing holding her up were the hands of her hair and shoulder and her back against someone's chest. She could still move her hands, she realized, but she wasn't about to attack a Jounin, even a Special Jounin. And she was so badly off balance she couldn't pull or twist away.
So she just stood there, scared, not sure what to think, as the mouth on her neck started working. The mouth on her neck starting sucking on the wound, greedily sucking as much blood as it could out of the fresh injury.
The teeth started to bite down, hard, and the sucking on her neck got more desperate and intense. It also started to hurt. It hurt a lot actually, and before long the teeth started breaking more skin, the sucking was widening the previous cut. Her whole neck started to go numb and tingly. It was one of the most unpleasant physical experiences she could remember having, having her neck sucked and mauled while she just stood there, out of balance and knowing it would be stupid to fight back. It hurt worse than it had a right to.
Hinata almost laughed when she thought that this was probably the most romantic moment she had ever had with anyone, despite the fact she was in horrible pain. She was pretty freaked out, but part of her mind in the back was saying that in a romantic situation she would probably enjoy being the one being bitten rather than the one doing the biting.
Not that this was anything close to a romantic situation.
Anko stood there for another minute, mauling the girl and drinking her blood, until tears were streaming out of the girls eyes. It really was one of the worse things she had had to endure, and she had received severe beatings and nerve strikes while training with her family plenty of times before.
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity, the older woman pulled away but firmly held the back of her neck with her hand. The Hyuuga could see the woman's other hand come up to her wound, and soon her hand was glowing green, like it had done when the woman had healed her that very same morning (was that still just the same day?). However, this time, the pain didn't dissipate. She felt the wounds closing, but she was going to have some painful bruising on her neck for days to come.
After she was done, Anko pulled her hand away the wound, examining her neck. The older woman however still held a firm grip on the back of her neck.
"That was for forgetting my instructions, silly girl," she said in a cheery and husky voice. "Next time you break one of my rules, I won't go quite so easy on you." She lowered her head so her mouth was right next to Hinata's ear. "You have tasty pretty blood by the way Hina-chan," she said happily, "I think all your punishments from now on will be so I can spill your blood and drink it. Bye!"
With that the Special Jounin let go of Hinata's neck. Then right afterwards she felt a spinning of wind and a rustling of leaves, indicating a Shunshin no Jutsu. Her sensei was gone.
Hinata thought about what she did wrong, wondering what had set her sensei off. She quickly spotted it. She had called her Anko-sensei, as opposed to Anko or sensei. That had been her instruction, and she had been punished, and gotten off easy according to her sensei. She sighed. Well, it wasn't like she wasn't used to screwing up.
At least these punishments only seemed to hurt her body. It really wasn't that bad, compared to what her father tended to do when she displeased him. She would take this any day over her father.
She sighed again, and fell down next to the large scroll with all the kunai scattered everywhere. It had been weird, but it hadn't been as bad as it could have been, and she didn't want to think about it right now. She had a long afternoon of sealing kunai in front of her. It would more than likely be dark by the time she finished. But that was ok. She was a Hyuuga. She could see in the dark.
000
It had taken her about three and a half hours to finish sealing all 220 kunai back into the scroll. She was absolutely exhausted, her neck throbbing, as she made her way to Kurenai's house. Hinata was also starving, too. She needed to get to bed soon, or else she didn't know how she was going to get up at quarter past four in the morning the next day.
It was almost a full moon out, it would be in a few days, so there was plenty of light to walk. The road west of the Hokage monument led her outside the city walls after about half the distance she had been told by Anko-sens… err better to just start thinking of her as Anko or sensei.
She was surprised because it was rare that a shinobi live outside the walls of Konoha. The gate guard questioned her, she said she needed to go to her sensei's house, and after giving her sensei's name (he said he knew she lived down the street) the guard let her through without a problem. Hinata was good at observing people, and by the way the guard's body reacted when she mentioned Kurenai she was pretty sure the man had a huge crush on her Jounin-sensei.
Eventually she came to a place where there were small houses on either side of the road. They were small, and spaced far apart so each had plenty of yard giving it a feeling of privacy even though you had other neighbors within eyesight. All of the houses were well kept and neat.
Almost at the end, she saw the house. It was there on the right, just as sensei had said it would be, and it was overflowing with plants. On the small red porch were at least a dozen plants on hanging pots. Some of them had flowers, some did not, and they all looked very well taken care of. Hinata walked up the porch, all of a sudden a little self conscious to be knocking on her sensei's house in the night.
Still, she had been told to do it. She gathered her courage and knocked on the door.
A few seconds later, she heard the locks being undone, and her sensei opened the door. Hinata had to keep herself from gasping.
It's not that she was wearing anything out of the ordinary. Just a dark red tank top and a pair of sturdy looking dark sweat pants. But her hair was washed and combed and her forhead protector was gone. But the clothes she wore seemed to hug her body like it had been custom made to accentuate her curves and her figure. She just looked so… different in civilian wear. In her mind she knew her sensei was pretty and sought after by different men, everywhere they went she turned heads. But for some reason it wasn't until now that it registered how stunningly beautiful Kurenai-sensei really was.
Kurenai noticed this reaction by Hinata, and was slightly amused by it. She knew Hinata wouldn't be intimidated by her looks like so many other women (and men) were, so it didn't really bother her.
Kurenai looked the girl over, up and down. She looked like hell.
"Come in Hinata." She said in a friendly voice, opening the door wider and walking back inside.
Hinata entered. The immediate area she saw was the living room, with a small kitchen at the end, and a door beyond that that she assumed was a bedroom. The living room walls were painted a dark red, and there was single coffee table in the middle of the living room with two couches positioned around it. The floors were wood, and there were rugs placed in different places. A few plants on shelves, and a single lamp on the coffee table. Overall, it was a really cozy place.
"Would you like some tea Hinata?" called Kurenai over from the kitchen.
"Um.. yes. Thank you Kurenai-sensei." She replied.
"Have a seat, I'll be right with you."
Hinata did as she was told, sitting on the edge of what seemed to be an old, but very comfortable, reddish brown leather couch. She then leaned back, and sitting back on the couch made her realize just how totally exhausted she was.
A few minutes passed, and Kurenai came over with a tray she put on the coffee table. It had a tea pot and two cups, and the red eyed Jounin poured herself and her student. Kurenai picked up her cup with the little plate underneath, and Hinata followed suit.
"Um.. thank you."
Kurenai smiled at her charge as she sipper her tea. "You're welcome."
They sat in silence for a few minutes enjoying the tea. It was nice, not an uncomfortable silence that can happen with people you don't know that well. Eventually, after they were both relaxed some, Kurenai spoke,
"So, what did you think of your first day?"
Very open ended question. Hinata answered it as best she could, "Well, exhausting that is mostly what I'm feeling right now. I…I like our team. I t-think, you know, it will work out fine," Hinata started fidgeting nervously, and Kurenai just watched her as she waited for the girl to continue, "It… it was an odd day. The mission wasn't so bad. T-the t-training was hard. So… um… yea, I guess that's how it went."
They paused for a minute as they drank a bit more of their tea. Then Kurenai continued, with a kind and amused smile on her face, "So what did you think of Anko?"
Hinata had been expecting this, but she still wasn't really sure what to say. So she just winged it and hoped she didn't look bad or offend either of her senseis… there really wasn't anything else she could do about it at this point. "Umm… she, um… she seems like… a really good teacher… s-she is a b-bit… o-odd? … she scares me a bit… but, I think she's a good person… I got that i-impression… so yea…"
Kurenai for her part was amused as the girl tried to describe Anko's personality without seeming like she was degrading the woman. The older woman had to admit, she had done it with a good deal of tact.
But she needed to get down to business.
"Well, Hinata, I guess there is no more use beating around the bush. You need to decide if you want to do this training and take Anko as your sensei. If you do, she will have as much influence and control over you as I will, except for missions and other official business like that. Now, are there any concerns you would like to bring up before we go any further?" at this point Kurenai had already noticed the bad bruising on her neck. It didn't look like a hickie, but she had some idea how that had probably happened.
Hinata however shook her head. "No, Kurenai -sensei. Anko-san is … very strict, a-and training i-is r-rough. She has… I-I think… unusual methods for d-discipline," Kurenai raised her eyebrow at that. She'd have to mention to her not to say it like that in public, though the girl probably wouldn't know why. "But… you… told me she w-wouldn't kill me … and I trust you Kurenai-sensei," Kurenai was actually really happy to hear that, "And… well… I-I think I can take it."
To be honest, though, Hinata did not know if she could take it. Take the training. But she knew she wanted to try. It would feel, not it would be like quitting if she did not at least try to give it her best. If she failed, fine, but she wouldn't quit without a fight. She really wanted this training, she needed it she knew. This was a huge opportunity, and she knew it. She also… kind of liked sensei. Though she couldn't really be sure why.
Kurenai wasn't as good at reading people as Anko was, but even she could tell the girl wasn't all that sure about what she had said about being able to handle the training. But if she wanted to try it, that was really good in and of itself. She sure as heck wasn't going to deny her the opportunity.
The Jounin smiled kindly at her student, and said "Well, you've said what you think will be challenging about the training. What about why you want to do it Hinata? I mean, what about Anko makes you want to be her apprentice?"
Hinta thought for a minute, then said, "Anko-san is um… unusual sensei but… she um… s-she I think r-really believes I can do w-whatever s-she asks me t-to… and… she doesn't t-treat me like I'm worthless… o-or think that I'm worthless? I-I think. And,… yea…" Hinata did not really want to mention some of the other things, about how she was hungrily craving praise from this person she did not know. Though if she was honest with herself the biggest reason she wanted to continue was because Anko made her feel good about herself. In the sense that Anko pushed her, and when she did well she had said it. She didn't seem to expect her to be perfect. All that was too embarrassing for her to say however, so she kept quiet.
Not that she would not have stuck with it if that had not been the case. But, it would have been more of swallowing a bitter pill than something she (sort of) was really anxious to do.
Still, it was not hard for Kurenai to read between the lines. She was inwardly pleased that the girl had taken so well to her friend (at least so far). The Jounin had had her doubts about the seemingly meek Hinata being able to handle the loud mouth Special Jounin, but she had proven to be made from sterner stuff than any of them had given her credit for (including herself).
Kurenai began, "so then, are you sure you want to do this? Remember, once it is done there is no going back. You will be tied to Anko and she will have command over you, she will be in charge of your training and all your time outside of home, time with your team and missions she will have the final say so. At least until you are fifteen, when you are an adult (under clan rules, slightly different set of laws). Are you sure you are ready to commit to that?"
To be honest, Hinata was not. It felt scary, it was scary. Anko was a scary woman, and she didn't know if things would just get worse with the training. And she afraid of what would happen, or if she would hate it. But Hinata also knew she was in a difficult position. With her father, her clan, and with what she wanted to do and what she hoped would happen. Recognition from her clan, her father… to be treated as an equal, without the never ending dismissive tones, disappointed or scornful gazes, without the coldness or emotional brutality and roller coasters, without Neji's constant polite deriding of her and critizising her skills… she just really wanted a family again. Like she had when her mother was still alive. Like before Neji's father died.
So, she would do this. She didn't know what the future held, but she knew Anko would help her get what she needed… she needed to be strong to get her family back. Hinata had faith in that, that Anko would help her get strong, like her father wanted. And she… well, she liked the woman. She wasn't bad… she didn't know why she felt that way, she was sure her team wouldn't see it that way… but she for some reason, she felt confident of that fact.
So, what she said was, "Y-Yes Kurenai-sensei. Please make it official with A-Anko-san." She said, bowing her head like a polite bow from her seated position.
Kurenai just nodded. "Very well Hinata. By tomorrow morning it will be finalized, so when you meet Anko in the morning she will be legally in charge of you… along with me and your father of course." She smiled playfully at the young genin, "now, get home you. You need to get to sleep. And oh, I would recommend either wearing those clothes again tomorrow morning or pick out a few outfits that you choose for destruction. She will just keep ruining your clothes if you keep wearing a new outfit with her every morning. Just make sure to change into something that is in one piece before you come meet your team in the morning."
Hinata got the hint (and blushed a little), stood up and bowed to her sensei politely, "Ano… t-thank you for everything Kurenai-sensei." She said.
The Jounin waved her off, "No problem Hinata. It was my pleasure. Just doing what I can to look out for one of my precious students. Now get going you." She smiled at the young girl reassuringly.
With that Hinata bowed once more (she is very polite), turned and walked out the door.
Kurenai sat on her couch and poured herself some more tea, stretching out her senses so she could feel where Hinata was. After a half minute, when she was sure the girl was far enough down the road, she said, "You know, it's considered very rude to eavesdrop on other people's conversations. I should keep her to myself and reprimand you. You are not exactly setting a good example for the younger generation."
There was nothing for a second as Kurenai sipper her tea demurely, then a woman in a beige trench coat jumped through the open window and landed on her living room.
"Can you really blame me Kurenai-chan? How else am I supposed to know what the brat thinks about me? Important tool for teaching you know." She said with a teasing tone, as she spun on her heel and plopped herself down on the couch next to Kurenai.
The elder woman said, "You know, you could have just asked her if you wanted to know Anko."
"Hehe yea right. I didn't feel like subjecting myself to a round of shy stuttering thank you very much. I still haven't gotten that out of her yet." Anko said.
"And it would ruin your tough bad ass reputation if you went around asking about people's feelings about you?" Kurenai said with a teasing smile over the rim of her tea cup.
The snake Jounin shrugged. "Can't have people think I'm getting soft or anything. Besides, I wouldn't be much of an interrogator and expert on the mind if I can't figure it out on my own. Or should that fail, I can use my espionage and infiltration skills to find out."
"Like you did just now?" Kurenai said in a chiding tone.
"Naw, I was just being lazy. And it was kind of fun spying on you," She said with a goofy smile.
Kurenai rolled her eyes, "you're lucky she didn't have reason to activate her Byakugan. I had half a mind to ask her to. You would have looked quite silly huddled outside my window," Anko was about to protest when Kurenai stood up, "let me go get those papers, before I change my mind." With that she walked off into one of the back rooms.
In a few minutes Kurenai was back. Anko watched as she filled out some forms, scribbled some things here and there and then at the bottom. Then she turned the papers over to her and handed her a pen.
"I took care of everything, I'll give you a few copies once it is done. Sign here at the bottom next to my name, and you are now in charge of Hinata's training. She'll be all yours then." Said Kurenai, voice carefully steady.
Anko just looked at it a minute, then looked up at her friend, "Um… thanks Yuhi. I um… appreciate it. I know you wanted this kid to yourself."
Kurenai smiled slightly up at her friend, "You're starting to sound like Hinata Anko. It's what's best for her, I know that. If I wanted an apprentice I could have gotten one instead of taking a team. I'm happy with what I'm doing. And it's not like I'll never see the girl again. You'll take good care of her, won't you?" she said with a very slight pleading voice, in a very un-Kunrenai like fashion.
Anko looked up and tapped her finger to her chin as if contemplating. "Well, I can almost guarantee she will survive. Hmmm I'm not so sure about being maimed, and I know sooner or later she will get an injury that will scar even with healing. Her face is too pretty, she'll need some scars on it. You know how it goes, I'll try to push her right to the breaking point… if she goes over, I'll make sure to visit her at the hospital at least one time. She might need you for psychological debriefings though, or she may end up committing suicide inside of a few months. Constant Stress And Fear Of Death Syndrome or something like that Ibiki calls it."
Kurenai sighed, "Why do I even ask? Here smartass. Sign."
Anko reached over and signed on the indicated places. Then she signed a couple of other papers she was told were copies. Then Kurenai handed her two of them.
"For you to keep. Congratulations, you now officially have an apprentice. And I still mean it Anko, you kill this girl I'm not going to be your friend anymore." She said in a serious tone.
"Yea, yea whatever Yuhi. I love you too." She said with a smile from ear to ear.
Kurenai sighed again, "You know, she said she thought you were a good person. Are you going to go out of your way to prove her wrong?"
"She did say that," mused Anko, "and I just think that means I haven't been training her hard enough. But don't worry, we'll change that." Her smile, if possible, got even bigger. Kurenai just shook her head. She just hoped Hinata didn't end up hating both of them when this was all over. The Jounin kind of doubted that would happen though.
000
Hinata arrived at the gates of her home at almost 9 at night. She was exhausted, and dragging her feet. The gate guards spared her looks of slight surprise at the condition of her clothes, but did not question or challenge her. They were branch members, it wouldn't be their place anyway.
Her father had probably retired for the night or was finishing up training Hanabi. She worried about seeing Neji as well, but the branch members quarters were on the other side of the complex, so there was little danger of seeing him. Hinata scurried through the halls, afraid of encountering anyone who would stop her and talk to her. Whenever anyone wanted to talk to her, it was usually not a good experience. Though very few of the members of the family actually ever stopped to do that.
She made her way to her room, and slid inside quiet as a cat. Hinata took her clothes off, thinking of just running right into the bathroom, when she stopped and looked at herself in the mirror on her dresser. Her neck was black and ugly, and it hurt when she touched it or moved her head. The rest of her body had small red lines across it. Apparently the cuts had healed fine, but it still left a red mark behind she had not noticed before.
Hinata started looking at her breasts and figure before she got shy, and blushing ran into the bathroom. She wasn't very comfortable looking at her naked body. If she was such a failure, her body really couldn't be much better either, she figured.
After a hot shower and a new set of clothes, Hinata realized she was starving. Too much energy used in one day. She left her room and scurried about, terrified of running into anyone. Once she made it to the kitchen, she felt somewhat safe because her father or sister would not go into the kitchen, that was something for servants to do. She found a large loaf of bread and some cheese, which she took in her hands and ran back to her room with.
Sitting on her bed, she ate her bread and cheese, and it suddenly occurred to her how miserable it was to be having to hide and scurry through her own home for fear of meeting her family. She wished she could be glad to see her father or sister (or her cousin Neji), but that wasn't how it worked right now. Hinata was glad she could hide away in her room.
She finished eating, brushed her teeth and got into bed. She was about to turn off the light when she realized she probably needed to start reading the big scroll her sensei had given her.
Sensei. I'm now an official apprentice. Learning from someone outside the family. Part of her just couldn't get her head around all the ramifications of what was going on. She would have to finish sorting it out another day.
She pulled out the scroll, opened it and started reading. Basic Fuinjutsu. She quickly scanned the scroll over. It was the most common symbols, most common patterns, theory of what each symbol can do and the basics of how they interact with each other. How they interact with chakra. How the symbols use chakra as a medium between seals and physical objects. How chakra can be sealed, how seals can be used to release things differently than how they went in, in theory.
The scroll was much theory but the only "how to" stuff was how to seal just about anything into a scroll. She was surprised to see you could even seal a person into a scroll, though it was a complicated task to draw the correct seals on to a scroll to do it. Hinata had to say, she really liked the subject. It was useful but not directly related to combat, but even if it wasn't it was still an invaluable tool for shinobi. Something about that appealed to her, and she thought it was really neat. She would have to ask her sensei more about it when the time was right.
She would read it in detail starting the next day, she had to learn it as her sensei had said. I can't believe I have a Jounin as a sensei. For now Hinata put the scroll away and turned off the light.
She was excited about her new training, even if it was scary, savage and unpredictable… it was still kind of exciting, in a way. Her last thoughts were hoping she wouldn't see her father in the morning, and she went to sleep a little easier knowing that she probably would not.