As always Naruto belongs to Kishimoto. Please review.
Hinata stared into the flames offering up warmth on the cool night. She curled her legs tight against her chest, a miserable expression straining her face. She was really starting to wonder if she was cut out to be a leader at all. It was their first mission outside of the village and Kurenai had specifically named Hinata to lead it. Hinata knew she was trying to help her by giving her the responsibility. She wouldn't be surprised if Hizashi asked Kurenai to give her these kinds of opportunities to build her skills for when she took over the clan. But that only made her failure so much more disheartening.
It wasn't even as if the mission had failed. They'd succeeded, but only because Shino and Kiba took control halfway through. It was as if her ability to make any kind of decision plummeted the more she needed to make it. She could already hear her grandfather's censure in the back of her mind and see his disappointment in the flickering firelight.
"Not everyone is a natural leader," Kurenai consoled her from across the fire. "That doesn't mean you'll never learn how, Hinata."
Hinata lowered her eyes to her knees. She didn't feel like she'd ever learn with the way their missions were going. Shino and Kiba took command with ease. Hinata was nothing like that.
"You need to stop second-guessing yourself," Shino remarked in his matter-of-fact way. Hinata didn't mind it as much when he pointed out her flaws; he had a way of commenting without sounding like he was judging her.
Kiba nodded, not to be outdone by Shino at anything. "You think too much. Just make a decision and stand by it, right or wrong."
"I'll try," she said. None of them looked very convinced.
Akamaru padded around the fire and snuggled up next to her. She ran her fingers through his coarse fur and received a hum of appreciation. Kiba'd given up on keeping his ninja dog fierce all the time. Hinata wasn't sure if it was seeing his mother's dog reduced to a playful puppy that changed him, or if he'd just accepted that having a cuddly pup comforted her at times.
As much as she often felt like the weak link in their team, Hinata was thankful for them. She finally understood the kind of happy reminiscence she saw whenever adults talked about their genin teams and how strangers could become closest friends. Kiba was loud, slightly obnoxious, overbearing, and didn't always know when to slow down and think, but he was also loyal, sometimes sweet in a roguish way, and he always watched out for Hinata without coddling her. Shino wasn't the distant, cold, unreadable person she first met when they became genin. In fact, it was his reserve that made what he said so much more meaningful. That he was opening up at all was how he showed attachment and affection. And then there was Kurenai. She always had a way of tempering her harsher lessons with a maternal instinct that made even failures serve to teach them something. As dejected as she felt at failing her goal of leading, they were all a comforting presence.
"Do you know what Kiba and Shino have that makes it easier for them to lead, Hinata?" Kurenai asked. Though she asked it of Hinata, all three were attentive when she continued. "Confidence. Whether their decisions turn out to be correct or not, they believe in their own judgment. Self-confidence is essential to being a leader."
Hinata picked Akamaru up and tucked him between her legs and chest like a furry safety blanket. If confidence was the key, it might be a long time before she was ready to lead.
They got back to Konoha the next morning. Kiba and Shino waved goodbye at the gate and headed off for home while Kurenai walked with Hinata part of the way, her apartment being in the same direction. They'd been in a comfortable silence for some time –Hinata mentally preparing herself to look more chipper than she felt– when Kurenai pulled her away from the foot traffic.
"Hinata, we need to work on your confidence. I know you have the ability to be great inside you, but you're holding yourself back. I have an idea. It's not going to be pleasant for you, but I think it can force you to see how much you're capable of doing. Are you willing to trust me and try it?"
Hinata didn't like how vague Kurenai was being about 'how' this would be unpleasant for her, but she became a genin because she wanted to learn to believe in herself – even if it seemed impossible in the face of her failures. If Kurenai had a way to help her break that insecurity down, Hinata was willing. She nodded.
"Good," Kurenai said with a smile. "Meet me in the training yard in the forest west of the village in a couple hours. I have to go prepare a few things first." She placed a reassuring hand on Hinata's shoulder before heading back the way they came to the commercial district.
Hinata made her way home, putting on a big happy smile that the twins saw through immediately but were kind enough not to pry into. It wasn't the first time she'd come home like that. After a quick hello to Hizashi and Naomi, Hinata headed for the shower to clean up. She knew she'd probably need another after whatever training Kurenai had in mind, but there was something about camping out that made Hinata feel dusty. She couldn't stand not getting at least a quick shower to feel clean again.
Once washed and in a fresh set of training clothes so she no longer felt like half the road was stuck to her body, Hinata relaxed on her own futon with one of her mother's medical scrolls. She'd pretty well given up on a serious study of medical jutsu since there simply wasn't proper time to devote between her team missions and training, her jyuuken training with Hizashi, and Hyobe's demands for her to study clan history and law. She did however still make time for her garden and to mix the medicinal salves and ointments her mother used to make. She'd had a constant customer in Neji for a couple weeks, but it seemed her brother had finally gotten enough of being 'target practice' for Tenten since he hadn't asked for any in some time.
After nearly an hour, which was enough time for her to not want to leave and go training again, Hinata dragged herself from beneath her covers and headed west. She still had no idea what kind of training Kurenai had in mind, but Hinata was getting desperate. She wanted to be better than this. Everyone said she could be, but as Neji once told her, she had to believe it. Hinata wanted to believe it, but it was so hard to get her grandfather's voice out of her head telling her she wasn't as good as everyone else and questioning every decision she made.
Kurenai was already waiting for her at the small training area when Hinata arrived. In her hands was a large shopping bag. "Hinata, good, you came."
"I want to improve," Hinata said as she landed next to of the three training trunks. It wasn't the largest training field, only a small, secluded clearing in the trees.
"I'm glad to hear that. Now I need you to trust me," Kurenai said and waited for Hinata to nod before handing over the shopping bag. "Then go get changed and we can begin."
Hinata took the bag from her, confusion clouding her pale eyes. "Changed?"
She reached into the bag and pulled out a very, very, very short kimono (it was practically a haori top, only a haori would have been longer) with sheer sides and a neckline that was not meant for modesty. From ears to nose, Hinata's entire face ignored pick, shot passed scarlet, and settled on an inhuman purpleish-fire-red color. There was no way she could wear that.
"Breathe, Hinata," Kurenai called to the frozen girl and she obediently inhaled. That dropped Hinata's face to merely fire-red.
"I . . . I . . . I . . ." Hinata stumbled, her eyes never wavering from the yellow and blue monstrosity in her hand.
"Go on and get changed," Kurenai encouraged with a smile unaffected by Hinata's condition.
"I can't wear this!" Hinata finally burst out, dropping the kimono back into the bag and shoving it into Kurenai's hands.
Kurenai caught the bag before it fell to the ground and stared at Hinata. Her eyes were softened by compassion for her charge, but the resolute teacher refused to be disobeyed. "I told you this wouldn't be pleasant for you. But I need you to trust me."
"How is that supposed to help my confidence?" Hinata wheeze. Just thinking about it sent her into a hyperventilating fit.
"It's a physical representation of your own insecurity. You don't want to wear it because you don't have the confidence to show people 'you.'"
"N-no," Hinata stumbled over the simple word. "I don't want to wear it because it doesn't cover anything."
"This is only one size smaller than what will cover me," Kurenai assured her, "and since you're obviously more than one size smaller than me, it'll cover everything that needs to be covered. More importantly, it shows everything that doesn't need to be covered."
Hinata stared at the shopping bag as if it might come alive and eat her. "Hyuugas don't wear things like that."
"That's an excuse, Hinata," her teacher reprimanded sharply. "The fact is you're not comfortable in your own skin. You're terrified to be yourself because you don't think 'you' are good enough. Now it's not entirely your fault you think that way, but your grandfather isn't going to fix it. You have to fix it."
Hinata no longer knew if the heat burning her skin was from the thought of wearing that thing or from the tender confrontation Kurenai made. She could see her instructor's desire to help her, but . . . but . . . "But how can that help me?"
Kurenai's eyes softened as the resistance slowly faded. "This is a way to literally strip away your ability to hide behind your fears and insecurities. I want you to put this on and spar with me, because I want you to see how much easier it is to act on a decision when you're not worrying about how people will view it – how they will view you. Think of it this way, is there really anything you won't be able to do after you fight in this?"
Yes, because she'd die of complete and utter humiliation immediately after putting it on. It was not something the heir to the Hyuuga clan would ever wear – especially to fight in. Not be self-conscious? One wrong move and she'd be showing all the wrong things that that flimsy piece of fabric was supposed to cover.
Sensing her continued reluctance, Kurenai leveled a maternal expression that Hinata had no doubt would one day force her children to confess all their mischief with a single look. "I asked you to trust me, Hinata. Do you?"
Of course she did, but the thought of wearing that skimpy, revealing kimono practically sent her into a panic attack. Yet the longer Kurenai waited in silence for an answer, the harder it was to look her in the face. With a shaking hand –and a begging, pleading look of desperation– Hinata reclaimed the shopping bag from her instructor. She stood there, unmoving.
"If it will make you feel better, use byakugan to make sure I'm the only one here," Kurenai suggested with an insistent push toward the trees. "Don't worry, my sensei did the same thing to me when I was a genin."
"You had problems with your confidence?" Hinata questioned.
"No, modesty removal," she said with a quirky smile. "It's something every kunoichi should learn, though for you, it also serves for a confidence lesson."
That did not make Hinata feel better. The only thing that would make Hinata feel better was not changing into that atrocity. Her only consolation –and the single, solitary reason she was reluctantly heading for the woods with that horrible bag in her hands– was that it would only be Kurenai, and Kurenai was a woman.
It didn't make it any easier to open the bag though. She activated byakugan and scanned the area for a mile out in all directions –three times– before opening the nondescript, white bag. With byakugan still active (because no one was going to see her do this but Kurenai!), Hinata snapped her hand in and snatched the fabric as fast as she could, as if that would make it more bearable. It didn't. Now she was staring at it. At the yellow backdrop with pale blue chrysanthemums decorating the front and back. At the sheer, semi-see through panels on the sides. At the thin blue tie that surely couldn't hold anything closed. Where did Kurenai even buy something like this?
It took five minutes before Hinata convinced herself to remove her jacket, and then she stared at the kimono again. "Kurenai-sensei, can I keep my undershirt on?" She knew the answer, but desperation had firmly lodged itself in her bright red face and wasn't about to leave.
"Underwear only," Kurenai answered with a pleasant chirp in her voice.
This was just revenge for having to go through it herself. It was all Kurenai's jounin instructor's fault! Hinata hid her face in the silken cloth (the only thing she was certain it could cover) and struggled to screw her courage up. Taking a deep breath, Hinata yanked off her under shirt and whipped the kimono around her faster than the human eye could blink. She grasped the thin fabric closed, slightly amazed it really did cover her, though not as much as she wanted. Still holding the kimono shut, Hinata put her jacket and shirt into the bag before picking up the blue tie. She wrapped it tight around her waist and tied it in a triple knot to make sure it wouldn't come undone.
That left her pants. She hated the kimono, but she might have been able to handle fighting Kurenai is only she could have kept her pants on, then she wouldn't be worried about panty-flashing her instructor every time she moved.
"Hinata, even if you stall all day I'll still be waiting here," Kurenai called, a hint of amusement tempering the impatience in her voice.
The mortification!
Hinata sighed and tugged her pants off, pressing her nearly exposed body against the tree behind her as she held onto her pants for dear life. Once she dropped those into the bag she'd have to go out there. To be seen. Sure she'd been in a bathing suit plenty of times, but that was high necked and couldn't flash open with a strong breeze, plus she wore a cover up at the waist when not actually in the water. This was a hundred times worse.
Closing her eyes, Hinata dropped her last lifeline into the white bag and stood frozen for a moment. She was actually wearing this horrible thing. The wind was cool against her thighs, and though it only fluttered a little, Hinata kept a hand to hold down the bottom hem. She couldn't move. It was impossible. How was she supposed to walk let alone fight?
"Hi~na~ta~," Kurenai called again in a sing-song tone.
She had to move. She'd promised to trust Kurenai, and it was just Kurenai. She was a woman. It wasn't as if she'd never seen girls' panties before if the wind picked up. Plus, she was far more endowed than Hinata, so it'd be nothing special if the tie loosened at all. It was Kurenai. Just Kurenai. She would move for Kurenai.
Slowly, Hinata moved from tree to tree, dragging her sandaled feet over the roots and undergrowth in hopes it would delay her. But all too soon the sun-filled clearing was visible from her final hiding place and Hinata clung to the bark until her fingernails turned white.
"Come on out," Kurenai said with a smile when Hinata finally peeked out from the safety of the tree.
Somehow she felt as if Kurenai were beckoning her to her doom. Hinata toed her way into the open. One hand crossed her chest and gripped the kimono closed at the neck, while the other tugged the hem as far down as it could (which sadly was barely past her hips). The sheer humiliation in her eyes begged Kurenai to end this 'confidence lesson' already.
"You look beautiful," Kurenai said with that motherly smile that always had a way of relaxing her.
Hinata wasn't vain by any means, but the compliment was unexpected, and deep beneath the burning embarrassment a gentle warmth filled her eyes. She didn't often get called beautiful.
"Now prepare yourself," Kurenai warned as she slipped into her taijutsu stance.
This must have been what Kurenai meant by modesty removal with her instructor. Hinata knew she needed to be ready to defend herself, but before she could open her legs into the strong footing that would allow her to easily attack or defend, the realization that it would open the front of the kimono below the tie immobilized her. She knew if this were a real battle she wouldn't have a choice, but right now it was Kurenai. Hinata simply couldn't bring herself to let the exposure happen.
Kurenai stuck first and Hinata jumped back, still clinging to the cloth. The tenderness that had kept her instructor from appearing too harsh disappeared with each attack that Hinata fled from rather than defended. Hinata saw the chakra swell for the genjutsu, but Kurenai was too quick and her body disappeared into the wind before she could break away.
The strike to her back that followed sent a razor sharp nerve pain up her spine and Hinata instinctively spun around to protect herself. Kurenai attacked faster and faster and never in the same area twice. Hinata could barely keep up blocking as Kurenai pushed her with relentless attacks from one end of the training yard to the other. When Kurenai pulled the kunai out and nearly sliced up the side of her face, Hinata slipped in under her outstretched arm and landed a two-handed palm strike to her side. The force of the blow shoved Kurenai out of arms reach for the first time in ten minutes, and Hinata leapt further back to catch her breath. Kurenai wasn't playing around.
"Hinata," the older woman called with a smile, "look down."
Hinata obeyed without thinking and came face to face with her own nearly completely exposed chest. The two loose sides of the kimono front rustled gently in the breeze. She yanked the thin fabric closed just as a sharp pain radiated out from her side and she was thrown across the yard. Kurenai had taken advantage of her distraction and landed a solid kick to her midsection.
"Modesty is a luxury, Hinata," Kurenai called and without waiting for Hinata to recover, Kurenai returned to her barrage. "Ignore it and fight with all your might."
Hinata expelled chakra from her hands to deflect three shuriken headed straight for her chest. Every attack was serious and she could see the intent to harm clearly in Kurenai's eyes. She couldn't keep thinking of this fight as training, Kurenai attacked with the ferocity of an enemy.
There's something about staring into the eyes of an enemy. To see in that exact moment that they would stop at nothing to hurt you and to know that you were alone to face them. No friends or teammates left to rely on. Hinata closed her eyes for a second and let the resolution of battle settle into her body. When her pale gaze met Kurenai's crimson eyes, Hinata was finally prepared.
Forgetting the desire for modesty or propriety, Hinata rushed her instructor to bring the battle into close combat and play to her strengths for the first time. She didn't have Shino or Kiba's ability to stay at a distance between attacks; she needed to be up close and connecting with the coils system over and over. Kurenai was faster, but Hinata was more flexible. When Kurenai attempted to dodge a straight attack, Hinata was able to bend around for a side strike or balance low for a sweep at her feet. Few hits met flesh, but with byakugan Hinata watched the disruptions in the older woman's coils system and knew the effects would soon begin to appear as long as she held out.
Hinata connected two solid palm strikes to Kurenai's hip and the chakra swelled again for a genjutsu. Kurenai's chakra reappeared behind her but at a distance, and when Hinata turned to face her the fight had disappeared from her eyes. She held up both hands in yielding; with no deception in Kurenai's face, Hinata allowed herself to relax. It took a few minutes for Hinata to catch her breath. She couldn't remember the last time she'd fought so hard against someone.
The motherly warmth Hinata loved in Kurenai replaced the enemy hardness as Kurenai waited for her to recover. "Hinata, I won't attack this time, but I want you to look down."
She obeyed a little more hesitantly than the first time, which elicited a chuckle from her instructor. The kimono was a tattered mess. A kunai had sliced up part of the sleeve, while the tie hung limply over her hips, no longer attempting to hold anything closed. She was as good as fighting in her underwear for all the kimono did to cover her, and yet Hinata was almost too tired to care. Yes, if her face wasn't already flushed from the fight it would have found amazing colors to turn, but she must have been exposed for some time already. That knowledge seemed to lesson the embarrassment, or maybe it just lessened its importance. Keeping a close watch on her instructor, Hinata readjusted the kimono so she had at least the semblance of clothing again.
"It was easier, wasn't it?" Kurenai asked.
Hinata eyed her curiously. "What do you mean?"
Kurenai sat down and waved Hinata to join her. She made her way across the training yard and sat down with her legs tucked up against her chest.
"Wasn't it easier fighting once you stopped caring what you looked like and what showed?" Kurenai asked again. "Once you accepted the fact that you couldn't control what I saw, you fought without doubt or fear. You were able to fight like the boys do all the time. Now, part of this was to teach you that as a woman there may be times you'll find yourself forced to continue a mission in less than adequate clothing and you can't just stop to cover up. But for you, I also want you to understand the only person stopping you from fighting like you did just now all the time – is you. If you can learn to accept that you can't control what people think of you, then you can begin to have faith and trust in yourself."
Hinata tucked her chin atop her knees and sat quietly for a moment, thinking. It had been easier. Shino said she over-thought things, but when she'd fought Kurenai she focused only on what she had to do and then did it. She didn't worry about if it was right, because she knew she had to do it.
"I think . . . I think I understand," she finally said, her voice muffled by the bare skin of her leg.
Kurenai smiled. "I want you to do more than understand. I want you to learn how to do it."
"I'll do my best," Hinata said with a definite nod.
"Well, we'll be putting that to the test soon enough," Kurenai said with a glimmer in her eyes that made Hinata's stomach drop.
"What do you mean?"
Kurenai tapped her ear and Hinata closed her eyes to listen. There was the sound of the breeze rustling the trees, the minor shifting of her and Kurenai, but other than that it was sil–
BARK!
Hinata's eyes shot open as panic set in. It couldn't be, because being dressed and fighting like that in front of Kurenai was one thing. She couldn't be seen by Kiba!
"Remember I said my teacher forced me to do modesty removal?" Kurenai said in response to the muted terror on Hinata's face. "Well that wasn't just for me. It was for the whole team. The boys have to learn not to be distracted by a woman, too."
"No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Hinata cried. She couldn't be seen by both Kiba and Shino! Not dressed like that! How would she face them everyday if they saw her like this? Her clothes! She needed her clothes!
Hinata bolted from her place on the ground and ran for the bag still in the trees until her legs burned. She scrambled for the tree she changed under but the bag wasn't there. Byakugan searched the entire area; it was nowhere to be found. Her clothes were gone! She hurried back to the tree line, careful now that Kiba and Shino were getting closer by the second.
"Sensei, where are my clothes?" Tears welled up in her eyes as the thought her teammates would see her became more and more a reality.
Kurenai merely smiled. "I hid them while I had you in a genjutsu during the fight. I'm sure you three can find them quick enough."
No! Hinata needed them before Kiba and Shino arrived. Akamaru's bark rang clear through the trees on the other side of the training yard, and Hinata ran further into the woods. She took cover behind some high underbrush next to a tree and searched for her clothes with byakugan again. They couldn't be far, she just had to look harder.
The bag was nowhere in the trees, so Hinata focused her sight back to the training yard and her heart dropped. Kiba and Shino were talking with Kurenai, who was pointing in the direction Hinata had run. She couldn't read lips, but Hinata had little doubt what her instructor was saying; the boys started that way.
She had to hide! But where could she hide that Kiba couldn't track her? A genjutsu might work on Kiba, but then Shino's kikaichuu would find her. Kurenai had done it on purpose. There was nowhere she could go that her team couldn't find her, and she couldn't return within a mile of the village dressed like that. Run. Her only choice was to run.
Hinata kept her duel vision on where Kiba and Shino were as she made her escape. She had a lead at the moment, but Kiba was faster than her and if she wasn't careful he'd overtake her. Through the treetops would've been faster, but if the boys were to get under her and look up with her wearing that . . . Hinata shook out the thought and turned diagonal away from her teammates to try and throw her trail a little. Kurenai must have been laughing at her; ignoring her appearance in favor of practicality was what she'd just tried to teach Hinata. But for Kiba and Shino to see her – that would be like Naruto seeing her!
Hinata ducked into a short shrubbery and forced herself to breathe again. She needed to stop thinking or she'd never be able to move again, let alone get away. Why did it have to be modesty removal? What was wrong with being modest?
Taking a deep breath to fortify herself, Hinata dashed out again. Her mini-panic attack had thrown her concentration off and Hinata furiously searched for Kiba and Shino's locations. Shino was less than a hundred yards away and closing fast. Kiba . . . Kiba was . . .
"Gotachya!"
A split second moved in eons between them. Hinata turned –unimaginably slow in that brief second– to face the smirking, arrogant features of her teammate, terror in her eyes. Behind her, Kiba's fangy grin slackened as his eyes caught up with his nose and he took in more of Hinata than he'd ever seen before. Time stopped as their eyes met.
Then it was action. Hinata leapt forward and struck a chakra-less palm strike to Kiba's chin, forcing his head up while her other hand yanked down the zipper of his jacket. In one seamless motion Hinata pulled the gray, fur-lined jacket off Kiba, spinning behind him to put it on, zip it up, and elbow her friend in the back hard enough to sprawl him across the ground. She yanked the hood up and clung to the closed front, feeling at least somewhat more protected. Unfortunately, Kiba's jacket wasn't any longer on her than the kimono and her legs still felt obscenely exposed.
A crack above her drew Hinata's eyes to her other teammate silently watching her from the treetop. To the naked eye Shino appeared no more surprised than any other occasion, but to Hinata's enhanced sight the slight widening of his eyes and the minute swallow when she faced him screamed of shock. Her gaze dropped from his face to the hem of his jacket, well onto his thigh . . . and Shino was taller than Hinata.
As if sensing the intent and not wanting to end up like Kiba, Shino shirked off his jacket and dropped it to the ground below. All the time his glasses were firmly locked on the trunk of the tree he was on. Hinata snatched up the second jacket before it hit the ground, putting it on over Kiba's (just watch Kurenai try and take these from her), and plopped down next to the nearest tree. She tucked her legs up into Shino's coat, buried her head against her curled legs, and yanked Kiba's hood down until the only skin visible was her fingers gripping the black fur trim.
No one spoke.
No one looked at each other.
No one moved except for Kiba to right himself on the ground.
Not even their first day together could have been more awkward than that very moment as they each tried to forget what they'd just witnessed. Akamaru padded quietly from his master to the bit of sandal poking out from beneath Shino's jacket and whimpered softly.
Slowly, Kiba stood up, his gaze still off into the empty woods. "You . . . you were pretty," he said awkwardly, eliciting a squeak of embarrassment from Hinata.
"Idiot," Shino commented as he dropped to the ground beside him.
"What am I supposed to say?" Kiba hissed in a whisper.
"I'm pretty sure nothing is preferable to anything that could be said," Shino answered. His shaded eyes never came close to looking Hinata's way.
They all fell silent again. With byakugan still active she could see them even without revealing herself. Shino fidgeted uncomfortably in his undershirt, the holes in his arms and chest obvious against his pale skin. Next to him Kiba started pacing, unable to remain stagnant any longer.
"Why the hell are you," Kiba blurt only to stop himself. " . . . I mean, why'd Kurenai-sensei . . . Arg I don't know what I mean!" He scratched furiously at his hair before plopping his forehead hard against the tree. "This is screwed up!"
Hinata couldn't bring herself to lift her head yet, but in a tiny voice that barely made it past the two jackets muffling her, she mumbled, "Modesty removal."
Kiba and Shino exchanged a glance before finally looking at the curled up figure of their teammate on the ground. Kiba asked for them, "You mean, Kurenai-sensei made you . . .?"
Hinata slipped her hand out in order to pull Kiba's hood down further over her, not that there was enough fabric to move any more than it had. The boys turned away again.
This was horrible. How could Kurenai do this to them? All Hinata wanted to do was run home and hide under her covers for the next month. How would she face her teammates day in and day out after this? How would they look at her the same way? Wasn't Kurenai supposed to be promoting team harmony or something like that? Harmony was not what was going on between them right then.
As much as she loathed the idea of moving at all, because she was finally completely covered, there was one small matter that needed to be tended to. Shifting the hood back, Hinata maneuvered her head so that her eyes (and only her eyes) peeked out at the boys. "Kurenai-sensei has my clothes."
"She's not going to simply give them to you, is she?" Shino asked, rubbing his bare skin to push back the nervous bugs trying to come out.
"She said we have to find them," Hinata explained. "And we've got to find them, because I can't go back to the compound dressed like this! If my grandfather saw me like this . . ." She buried her head back against her knees and willed herself to breathe again. Her grandfather wouldn't find out. She didn't care what they had to do. They would get her clothes back.
"Do you see them?" Shino asked.
Hinata took a deep breath and refocused her sight outward again, back to the training yard where Kurenai waited. Around her were half a dozen areas of concentrated chakra. Hinata took a deep breath and held it, counting to ten before exhaling. Fortified –or, more accurately, too desperate to keep hiding– Hinata lifted her head to her teammates. "She has multiple genjutsu around her."
"No doubt to force us to work together," Shino commented.
"Like we wouldn't help Hinata out," Kiba snorted. Though all three knew that wasn't what Shino meant, Kiba's usual crassness broke some of the tension between them. At least they were able to look at each other finally.
"Kiba-kun, if you can lead Shino-kun to the right spot, then his kikaichuu can retrieve my clothes from the genjutsu," Hinata instructed as she very carefully stood up from her crouch. Having both Kiba and Shino's jackets helped keep her steady and not hyperventilating with embarrassment. (Shino's most of all since it went almost to her knees.) "I'll keep Kurenai-sensei distracted."
"Leave it to us," Kiba said with his usual arrogant smirk. He was about to jump into the trees with a thought passed through his head and into his eyes for Hinata to see. "Um, Hina–"
"I'm keeping the jackets," she snapped, yanking the hood down over her eyes.
"Right! Going now!" Kiba rushed off before Hinata could repeat her earlier treatment of him.
Shino adjusted his glasses, an act that didn't seem nearly as casual without his jacket on. "Idiot," he muttered and disappeared into the trees.
When they were both gone, Hinata counted to ten again and forced herself to stop thinking about the look in their eyes when they first saw her, or the one that passed over Kiba just now. She was almost completely covered up and needed to get her clothes back. It seemed Kurenai's lesson was going to be learned after all. Necessity and desperation trumped modesty. Her grandfather was a hundred times scarier than anything Kiba or Shino might see (or had already seen).
She leapt into the trees this time to hasten the trip. It was strange feeling the wind on her legs, but Hinata shut that thought out. She focused on Kurenai. Their instructor waited patiently in the center of the training yard, an innocent smile on her face. Kiba and Shino were already swinging around to come up from behind her so Hinata would keep her attention from the front. She leapt down from the treetops without her earlier hesitation and a bright, loud laughter sounded from her instructor.
"The boys didn't stand a chance, I see," she chuckled, letting her mirth spread across her face. "Though, it's too bad. You really were quite pretty, Hinata. You should let people see you more often."
"I think they've seen more than enough," Hinata replied with more confidence in her voice than she felt.
"Okay, perhaps not that much," Kurenai conceded, "but a little more every now and again wouldn't hurt. If you learn anything, I hope it's that you don't need to hide yourself away behind your doubts, and how you present yourself physically is a reflection of how you feel mentally."
"Are you going to give me my clothes?" Hinata asked to change the subject. Sometimes what Kurenai said made more sense than Hinata cared to hear.
Kurenai shook her head. "And deny the boys the chance to steal them from me? They're around here somewhere, aren't they?"
They were, Hinata saw. In fact, judging by the expressions on their faces Kiba had figured out the area her clothes were in. Shino's swarm was leaving their nests, and Hinata realized why Aburame covered up so much. She'd gotten used to the knowledge that the bugs lived inside him, but seeing them come out of his sleeves was far less disconcerting than actually seeing them crawl out of his entire body. Considering the shudder that ran up Kiba's body, he was thinking the same thing.
"They're helping, yes," Hinata continued, slowly moving toward Kurenai. Depending on where the bugs went, she might have to force Kurenai to move.
"Now see, you're still able to work together. Better than my team, in fact. But then our puppy Kiba has nothing on the lewd mind Akito had."
Hinata watched Shino's bugs skirting the ground behind Kurenai, while her eyes physically remained on the woman herself. They were getting closer, but not so close Kurenai noticed yet. They headed for an area that appeared as barren as the rest of the field, yet soon enough they disappeared into a swell of glowing chakra.
A second before the chakra vanished from Hinata's sight, Kurenai quirked her head back. "There they are."
Hinata didn't wait to see if Kurenai was going to try and stop them. She thrust forward and snatched the white bag from Shino's kikaichuu the moment it appeared from beneath the genjustu, not stopping until she was certain no one was following. For as long as it took her to change into the kimono, Hinata was out of it and back in her own wonderful, full-covering clothes in seconds. She almost put Kiba and Shino's jackets back on for good measure, but decided against it. It wasn't her teammates' fault their instructor decided to be completely evil.
Kiba and Shino were waiting with Kurenai in the training yard when Hinata finally convinced herself she needed to go back and not run straight home; she still had to return the boys' jackets after all. Once she was in ear shot, Kurenai started clapping.
"Congratulations, Hinata. You survived."
"That was horrible, Kurenai-sensei," Hinata said as she handed the boys back their jackets.
"And yet I couldn't be more proud at how you lead your team to retrieve your clothes."
That stalled Hinata. Lead her team? She just needed her clothes back. She didn't lead the team.
The maternal softness warmed Kurenai's face as she stared at Hinata's befuddlement. "They told me it was your plan, your orders, and therefore you were the leader. I told you yesterday a leader needed confidence. Well, sometimes necessity can produce a leader where there wouldn't be one normally. My instructor only forced my teammates to see me. I made you three do more, because I knew there was no way Hinata would ever return home without her clothes, and I hoped –successfully– that she'd be able to take command when she needed to."
There it was. That ability to make even the worst lessons become a good, only now it made the most horrible experience Kurenai could ever put them through seem positive. Hinata wanted nothing more than to hate every last moment of this day, but the more she thought back the more she realized she had led them. She hadn't doubted herself or over-thought it; she simply knew what needed to be done and they did it. Hinata had actually led them and it was a success. Worst of all, she couldn't tell anyone about it without dying of embarrassment.
"Can I go home yet?" Hinata begged, both defeated and uplifted, which made her all together exhausted.
Kurenai failed to hide her laughter behind her hand and gazed down at the three of them. "Just one more thing. I'll tell you how my team got over the awkwardness of modesty removal."
All three genin were at full attention. They could use some advice on that.
"Forget this day ever happened. Never mention it. Never think about. Pretend you went home and nothing interesting happened at all today. And if you should ever get the inkling to talk about it to anyone," –Kurenai leveled a hard stare on Kiba and Shino– "go find Kurata Akito and ask him what it's like to spend twelve hours in a nightmare genjutsu for doing just that. Then imagine what Hinata would do in order to keep it secret. Understand?"
The two boys shrunk back and nodded in unison.