Happy 2021! Once again, I return with a chapter. This one was during the month Naruto and Jiraiya looked for Tsunade. It may be a little fast, but I try not to have any large time jumps too quickly. For you Naruhina lovers, I tease it a little in here. As always, leave a review of comments, criticism, or suggestions. If you're utterly disgusted by my work, then at least explain why to give your comment some sort of worth. Now, enough of that. Please enjoy "A New Sensei"!
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Hinata and Sasuke were left with confused looks when Jiraiya left to prepare for Naruto's and his journey. They knew he was a sannin, but they thought that he would've been more… sannin like? The man they had just seen acted like he was Naruto's older brother or something.
"You want to spare and try to forget that?" asked Sasuke. His answer came when Hinata charged him, prepping a strike. He quickly answered to her and prepared his defense. The two fought for 13 minutes before becoming tired and barely holding on. Hinata slipped up for a second and Sasuke moved to capitalize on it. He was stopped when his curse mark flared with pain. Sasuke dropped to the ground, clutching his neck.
Hinata rushed to tend to Sasuke, trying to see what was wrong, but Sasuke continued to cover the curse mark with his hand. Hinata activated her Byakugan to try and find the problem. What she found was a build up of this dark purple chakra that centered on a spot near Sasuke's neck. It gave off a malicious aura.
When it started to spread throughout Sasuke's body, Hinata leapt back out of instinct. Her instincts were given reason when Sasuke had tried to slash her with a kunai as she jumped backwards. "Sasuke Uchiha. Put down that kunai or before I make you put it down".
Sasuke straightened himself. Slowly, and with a sense of aloofness. His head was the last to rise, Sasuke chuckling as he rose. "You think you can beat me with this power?! I'd like to see you try, girl!".
Hinata narrowed her eyes and took her taijutsu stance. When Sasuke finally lifted his head, Hinata saw the pattern of paint strokes crawling across his face, and starting to reach to his arms and legs. His sharingan were activated and they held anger and fury unlike any Hinata had seen from the Uchiha.
Before Hinata realized he had moved, Sasuke appeared behind her, kicking her into a tree across the training field. Before she made impact though, Kakashi appeared to catch her.
"You know. If we keep on breaking down these trees, we're going to have to replant them instead of training. I thought I could leave you guys alone for 5 minutes, but it seems that Kami had other plans. Anko, it's your turn!"
Acting faster than Sasuke could successfully react, Anko emerged from her hiding place in a tree to stab Sasuke with a throwing needle. She was able to jabbed it into his back before leaping back to avoid getting launched herself. Sasuke tried to give chase to her, but one by one, his body was becoming paralyzed until all that was left was his head before he eventually passed out.
"I'm surprised he lasted this long without activating it. That blond dobe must really know his seals". Said Anko as she stood over Sasuke, watching the curse mark pattern recede back to its source. "Control. That's going to be the first lesson I beat into him".
"Sensei. Why is the second exam proctor here?" Hinata asked.
"She is going to help train you guys with me. I can only teach so much, plus she'll whip you guys into physical shape in no time". Hinata looked back to Anko, remembering the second exam and slightly shivered. Knowing that Kakashi's words were all but lies.
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The next day only proved it. Anko worked Sasuke and Hinata long and hard. The only thing worse was to do Gai and Lee's training, and this wasn't much better. Afterwards, Kakashi took Hinata to the river for some training while Anko stuck with Sasuke. Once Hinata and Kakashi were out of sight, she turned back to face Sasuke with an unreadable face.
"Show me the mark". At first, Sasuke was reluctant to show it, but remembering that morning's workout, he thought it best to avoid upsetting her. Pulling down the back of his shirt a little, Anko had full view of the mark.
'Damn bastard'. "Okay. Now, Kakashi may have said that I came to help train you and Hinata, but in reality, it was so I could help you get control of that make of your's. Sasuke raised an eyebrow skeptically. Anko sighed, "I've got the same mark brat". She pulled her coat and armor shirt to the side to reveal her own mark at the base of her neck.
"You're not the only one that snake bastard has marked. And I've gone through hell because of it. Now, you are lucky enough to have someone who knows how to deal with it". Sasuke had a curious look in his eyes, wondering just who this woman was.
"Alright! Enough dilly dallying. First things first, you need to know what that curse mark does". Anko then explained the details of the curse mark. Explaining how it amplified negative emotions, and worked to bring him into the hands of Orochimaru. "Now, the one I have was still in testing so I had an easier time dealing with my emotions, granted it took nearly a decade. Your's seems to be refined and more powerful, so you need to be even more cautious. I recommend getting some sort of token that reminds you of someone close to you to anchor yourself with when you feel yourself falling to the curse mark.".
"So will I be able to use the seal without falling to its power eventually?" Sasuke asked, the idea of being able to use the amount of power it gave him freely was incredibly enticing. 'Wait! That's what the seal wants you to think. No! No using the seal!'.
"I guess it's a possibility. Maybe Jiraiya can help ease some of its influence when he gets back, but for now, don't ever use that seal unless absolutely necessary. And I'm not talking about whether or not you complete a mission. I'm talking about saving someone's life".
The seal's influence once again rang throughout his mind with the idea of being able to be used. Sasuke tried to focus on the last part of what Anko said, about only using it to save someone's life. He nodded his head in understanding, not trusting his voice to hide the temptation he was facing.
Anko smirked. "Alright, now that that's done. Let's start with sparing shall we?". Sasuke barely blocked the kunai she had thrown at him.
"I thought we were going to discuss how to control my curse seal!"
"We did. That's all we can do for today. In the meantime, I'm going to do what Kakashi said I would do. Train you". Sasuke had to dodge four more kunai as she said this. He scowled as he finally joined the fight.
[]
By the time the sun was setting. Sasuke was on the ground, panting for the 12th time that day. Hinata joined him this time, having finished her training with Kakashi. Kakashi and Anko hid their weariness from the genin, but secretly, they too felt like falling to the ground to rest.
Kakashi walked up to the two genin, "Tomorrow at 8 sharp. Don't be late". He then turned away to go home. Anko had already left, looking forward to snuggling in Iruka's arms after a nice home cooked meal to fall asleep.
Hinata and Sasuke dragged themselves up and walked home at a slowed pace. Their muscles finally delivering the soreness they had built up over the day. Hinata barely ate anything at dinner, having only enough to satisfy her aching stomach before excusing herself and crashing on the bed.
Sasuke didn't even bother with food, or bed. Falling asleep on the living room couch within seconds of laying on it.
(_(_(_)_)_)
The second day wasn't much better. After a dreadful workout deemed a "warm up", the two were once again divided between instructors. This time, Kakashi had Sasuke, and Hinata had Anko.
Sasuke and Kakashi discussed the scorch element that Sasuke showed in the third exam. Once Kakashi explained the implications of being able to master it, they went to work with Sasuke's lightning and fire control. For now, working to perfect his current jutsus.
Hinata and Anko focused on taijutsu. "Alright Hyuga, today we're going to work on your fighting stance. While Kakashi did help with it. It's still not fit for you. Also, I've heard that you've been incorporating water into your taijutsu. For now, I want you to show me what you got". Anko then gestured to a clearing for Hinata to do so.
Hinata steadied her breathing and honed her focus. Stepping into the clearing, Hinata held her eyes closed. When she opened them, it signalled the beginning of a both equally beautiful and terrifying taijutsu form.
Hinata was doing her modified Hyuga taijutsu style, but would have more spins in between attacks. The water that had formed around her would lash out in between her strikes and would follow her spin. Becoming blades that would protect Hinata and cut anyone foolish enough to touch them. The water and Hinata rarely ever becoming completely still. It was almost always one fluid motion to another. Her strikes trying to replicate waves, landing fast before quickly receding for another.
Anko was impressed. 'That might just be one of the most dangerous children the Hyuga have ever produced. But the form isn't refined enough. She's gotten better, but she's still trapped in the Hyuga stiffness at some parts. That, and I think we could add a few moves in there that'd really capitalize on her flexibility'.
When Hinata finished, Anko smiled. "Alright Hyuga. You've got quite a formidable taijutsu style. But two things. First, you're still trapped in the Hyuga stiffness at some parts. I'm sorry, but you are not a physically strong person. However, you are flexible. And with a water affinity, even more so. Now we are going to work on using that flexibility to really make a fighter out of you. Second, you've only scratched the surface with using your water in a fight. You need to really extend the water as blades, that way you not only can use it in close, but mid range combat as well".
Hinata hadn't thought of using her water as purely an attack before in her taijutsu. She had always focused on using it in a defensive manner, using her hands for the attack. Hinata wasn't given long to think on it because Anko didn't have that kind of patience.
"Enough daydreaming Hyuga. If we're going to make you a fighter, then we're going to start now. We'll start with the flexibility part of your fighting style and then work on the water blades later". Making some shadow clones, Anko demonstrated a variety of fighting moves with various ranges of difficulty, but a very all requiring great flexibility. They started easy, working their way up to the more difficult, but incredibly effective moves.
Thanks to the swapping of teachers every day, Hinata and Sasuke were given a break from Anko's hell of a training. It was definitely effective, but it made their bodies ache in places that they didn't even use. As if their bodies were trying to equally distribute the pain.
Each day, Sasuke gained more and more control over the curse seal. Now with an earring with the kanji "ice" on it, Sasuke had an anchor to help prevent him from going into a rage. While he couldn't use the seal, he was able to contain the negative effects of it for the most part. Trying to see each defeat as a reminder that he has so much more room to grow. With Kakashi's help, Sasuke was starting to hold mastery over a basic chidori and had increased the output of his great fire ball while reducing the chakra every so slightly.
Hinata had never been so tired in her life. Training with Kakashi on her Byakugan and her control with water. He had her controlling it to make a terrain to fit her needs. Using it to hide from enemies and avoid attacks. So far, all Hinata could do was create some waves while in a battle to disrupt her opponent and pull up water walls for a temporary defense against very weak attacks. With Anko, Hinata advanced rapidly. Hinata was slowly starting to lose the Hyuga dependence on strength and had successfully incorporated three moves Anko had taught her. Hinata now used kicks more in her form, and had a leg sweeping technique. Working on her water control, Anko had Hinata channel blades of water to follow her limbs with sweeping kicks.
{_{_{_}_}_}
By the end of the second week, Anko decided it was time to change it up a little. While Kakashi worked with Sasuke on stealth, Anko had… other plans.
"Alright Hyuga. You're the heir to one of the most powerful clans in the world and thankfully don't need to be taught etiquette. Now, you're still a bit young, so we'll work on your more feminine charms later. For now, you need to learn how to infiltrate and be an effective spy. Lucky for you I am a master at both".
Hinata made a single shake out of nerves. Extreme and terrifying ideas running through her head. Anko saw this and tried to comfort the girl, "Don't worry, just because you suggest something doesn't mean you mean it. The key is to either think of something or someone else to fake an emotion, or to gain really good self control. A bit difficult, but that's why we are going to give you a makeover and have you create the persona of!... Drum roll please… Suki Hakano!". After a brief second of processing, Anko was met with Hinata's sweat dropping.
Anko sighed, "Work with me here! Now, we'll work on the looks later. For now, we need to design a persona for you to be. Preferably something that's opposite of who you actually are when you get more experienced. To start, we're just going to have it like putting on a mask and you acting on impulse. Remember, nobody will know it's you, not even your family".
Hinata's eyes widened at this slightly. She mentally took a step back to think about it. 'I could act however I want, as long as I seem like someone else. My father won't know. The elders won't know! But can I even act like the common folk? I've spent so many years looking down on them for enjoying life, to join them at one point was unbearable. When did that change? Maybe this can help me understand why they act so carefree'.
"Well if you don't want to, I guess we could always…"
"Yes!" Hinata bursted. "I… ah. Yes. I would like to practice acting".
Anko smirk 'I knew that'd seal the deal'. "Alrighty then Suki. Let's get you a personality". The two spent the rest of the day molding the persona Hinata would aim for and towards the end, what she would look like. So far they had a bluenette with bright blue eyes and tanned skin. As for clothing, it was some tight blue jeans that Hinata found to be questionable, and a grey sweatshirt. They didn't bother changing the shoes that much. Only turning them black.
"Alright Hyuga, you've got the look, but now we have to mess with your voice. Now repeat the signs I show you". Anko made several hand signs, Hinata following. "Voice Cover Jutsu". Hinata said the same thing. When Anko spoke next she sounded like Hinata.
"So the voice cover jutsu will make you sound like whoever you're thinking about. Since you infront of me, my voice changed to yours. Who's voice do you have?".
"Yours, I think" Hinata replied in Anko's voice.
"Ha ha! That saves us soo much time. Now we don't need to practice it as much. Yes! Well since we've still got a little time left, let's get you to memorize those hand signs before we leave".
Hinata nodded. She felt slightly uncomfortable hearing her voice come from someone else's mouth, but that was soon forgotten.
After a little while Anko got an idea. "Hey Hyuga. Watch this". Anko pulled a henge of Kakashi over herself, changing her voice to match his in the process. "Sorry I'm late. I just couldn't get my lazy ass out of bed today. Let me read my porn book for the 36th time as you slave away at today's tasks". Hinata tried and failed at hiding her chuckle.
"Wait. Did you laugh?"
Hinata remained silent, looking away as well.
"You did! And here I was thinking now of you Hyuga had a sense of humor".
"Hey!"
"Well you and your clansmen rarely smile, show up to informal parties, and have never been seen laughing".
Hinata tried to search for a refutation, but came up with none. She dropped her head in defeat. Anko chuckled. "It's okay Hinata. You can be the first Hyuga to destroy that. After all you will be acting from now on". Hinata groaned at the idea, butterflies bouncing off the walls of her stomach like a pinball machine had gone off.
"Oh don't be nervous. It'll only be me who'll know it's you. And I'll either be hiding in a corner or joining you with the disguise". This brought Hinata a little comfort. But not much.
*)*)_(*(*
The following day was Sasuke's turn to go into the lioness's den. Anko smirked when he walked over. "Alright Uchiha. I've got Hinata doing some special training, now it's time for you to get your own specialized training".
Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
"You have good taijutsu and ninjutsu, however, that's only going to get you so far against more trained opponents with big weapons. So you are going to be trained in the art of kenjutsu!".
"Okay…"
"You're not impressed".
"Well I understand it's a weapon that can extend my reach, but for overall effect, I think my kunai will be just fine".
Anko pinched her nose. "Ah the ignorance of youth. Kunai are versatile, however, a sword has more techniques and potential than your kunai. You have the lightning element right? You can use the sword to help channel and project your lightning. It's not just a blade. It's an extension of both body and spirit".
Sasuke still wasn't impressed.
"Fine Mr. Anti-sword. What do you suggest?"
Sasuke thought about it for a second. "Is there a way to casually fling chakra?". Anko nodded in confirmation. "Would it be possible for me to use a slingshot or hand crossbow to do it?".
Anko had to think about it for a second. "Well I don't think you'd be able to 'fling' chakra as you're thinking. Those who have before either had incredible control, or channeled the chakra into something. It's an interesting idea, but isn't that the same as a kunai?".
"Technically, yes. However, theoretically, I'll be able to react faster, and with some adjustments, can use it for more than just attacking from afar".
"Alright Uchiha. I'll let you take the reins on this one. But first, we need to get to a weaponsmith. Then we can work on you using it effectively". Anko led Sasuke off the training ground and to the best weaponsmith in town. Within an hour they had explained and put in their order. By the same time tomorrow it would be done.
"Well that went quicker than usual. I guess that just means you'll have more sparring time with me!"
Sasuke slouched as they made their way back to the training ground. He had thought with having to make the order that he'd avoid getting a beating. He was wrong.
\/\/\/\/
The next day offered Sasuke a day to heal his bruised skin, but it meant Hinata would start her first day as an actor. "Alright Hinata, you ready?". Anko and Hinata were currently standing in front of the business center of Konoha. Anko had disguised herself as Kakashi to deter any funny business, and Hinata had taken on the appearance and voice of her character, Suki Hakuno, which just so happened to be Sakura's voice.
"I-I'm not s-sure about th-this"
"Don't back out now Hinata. Remember, it's not you anymore! You're Suki! You can be whoever you want to be! Now, your task is to make friends with someone. And don't worry about having to maintain the friendship. Most of the kids here are the children of traveling merchants". Hinata nervously nodded her head.
Anko/Kakashi smirked. "Oh, and if you fail. I'll have you do two workouts a day". Anko then disappeared into the crowd. Surprisingly, despite having an incredibly iconic look, Hinata could not see a single speck of white hair. She sighed in defeat. 'I guess I'm actually doing this. Ahh. What did Anko say I was supposed to do? To be myself? What does that mean?'.
As she tried to think of what to do, Hinata/Suki was approached by a girl looking a year or two older than her. "Hey! You okay?".
Hinata snapped out of her thoughts. "Um. Yes, thank you".
The girl gave Hinata/Suki a smirk, "You sure? Normally people don't just stand in the middle of the street. If I hadn't come over you might have been trampled". Hinata shuddered at the thought. "Don't worry. So are you looking for something? I've only been here a few days, but I think I've mapped out this street pretty well".
"I… ahh… no. I just wanted to do some window shopping?".
The girl raised an eyebrow. "Is that a question or a statement?". Hinata shrugged nervously. The girl laughed, "It's okay, I think I might know some good stalls to look at. Come on!".
The girl grabbed Hinata's wrist and dragged her along. Hinata's head was spinning. She just barely was able to regain her senses. 'Alright. Just be myself. I'm just window shopping with some girl I just met 5 seconds ago'. It was then it clicked for Hinata. 'I'm window shopping with a girl I just met. Not my family!'. Suddenly the idea of acting became a lot more pleasant. Hinata spent the day indulging in herself. Normally it would be considered forbidden for her to walk down these streets for shopping, but now she wasn't the Hyuga heiress. No place was off limits to her!
As she went from store to store with her new friend, Hinata started to understand the people of konoha more and more. 'They live so freely. They don't worry about pleasing a clan, or constantly work to get ahead of everyone else. They have their ups and downs, but they're overall content with where they are in life. I wonder if I could ever be content like that'.
By the end of the day, Hinata had gone through too many shops to count. Tried on a few outfits. And had nearly tasted one item from every street vendor. As they were making their way to the exit, Hinata realized she had just spent the afternoon with a girl she still didn't know the name of. Feeling a bit more relaxed, Hinata decided to get a little more into her character. "Hey! You've dragged me around here all afternoon and I still don't know your name. I hear it's bad manners to spend a day with someone and not learn their name".
"You hear that do you?"
"Someone's not going to teach it to me"
The girl laughed. "Damn right. Manners are only taught to the rich and noble. Anyways, I'm Himari. Now, I hear it's poor manners for some to give their name without getting one in return".
Hinata giggled, letting her emotions come to the surface. "I'm H...Hakuno. Suki Hakuno".
"Well it was fun Suki, but unfortunately I'm leaving tomorrow. My pops never stays in one place for more than two weeks. Says business gets stale after that". Himari turned and started walking away, but before she got too far she turned around and waved. "Bye Suki!". Hinata/Suki waved back as she watched her afternoon friend disappear into the crowd.
"Well I must admit, I thought you would've done a lot worse for your first time. You're lucky that Himari girl came along, otherwise I don't think you would've been able to make a friend today".
Hinata opened her mouth to refute but found that she had nothing to defend herself with. She reluctantly closed her mouth and grumbled a reluctant agreement.
"Much better that normal training right?"
"Yes!"
"This was my favorite skill to learn too. It'll get a bit more unpleasant and difficult later, but for now we'll just work on you being comfortable getting out of your shell". Hinata nodded her head in understanding.
Leading Hinata to an alley to remove their disguises, Anko said, "Well that's all for today. Once you take off your disguise, you're free to go. It's too late to spar, and Sasuke doesn't need to know of our fun today. It'll be our little secret".
A small giddy smile came to life on Hinata's lips. Anko smiled herself, happy to see the uptight Hyuga loosen up a little. She found herself saddened when Hinata removed the disguise and drew the Hyuga mask of indifference once more before walking away. 'Maybe she can be the one to break the Hyuga standard. Hell she's even started with changing the fighting style'. Anko removed her own disguise and threw her hands behind her head as she strolled out of the alley, seeming to have been walking around Konoha all day.
_)_)_(_(_
When Sasuke first received his hand crossbow, he was confused at what he was looking at. It was a marvel of engineering, but Sasuke had yet to see how it worked. With some brief instruction, Sasuke now knew how to activate it. With a specific flink of his wrist, the device activated, spreading it's crossbow frame and becoming ready for use. The weaponsmith then handed Sasuke the ammunition, a small crossbow bolt made with a commonly found tree that allows for chakra channeling.
"Now. While I built that so it won't break by accident, that doesn't mean it can be used as a defense".
Sasuke nodded his head, "I know. I have some ideas for how it can be improved on later. But we can work on that later". Both Anko and the Weaponsmith raised an eyebrow at this, curious as to where the genin was going with this. Without a work, Sasuke paid and walked out of the store, Anko shrugged and followed suit.
"Alright brat. You've gotten your little gadget, now let's get you to be able to use it properly".
Sasuke smirked, "Yep. Now I just need to get some new clothing to hide it". Anko raised an eyebrow at this. Seeing this, Sasuke explained. "Well I can't have my opponent knowing what I have". Anko shrugged in agreement.
"My suggestion is to save it for training for now. Work on getting more comfortable with your other skills on missions. The other nations will take note of what they see in the field. Until you add on those other ideas you have, save it for when you're truly in danger and if you do use it, make sure no one lives. That's something you'd want to keep a secret for the more dangerous enemies".
Sasuke grunted his agreement, still admiring the craftsmanship of the device.
When they returned to the training ground Anko and Sasuke set up targets for him to practice with. They started slow with only getting aiming down. After a day or two, Sasuke was starting to master the device as long as he wasn't moving too much.
"Alright, now that you can aim when you're not moving, now you need to do it while running, jumping, all that jazz. To simulate it, I'm going to have you dodge kunai while firing". An evil grin creeped across her face. Sasuke gulped, finding himself fearing for his life slightly.
And fear for his life he did. While it may have been training, Sasuke had nearly taken a kunai to the leg twice, nearly had an ear cut off, had cuts running up both legs and arms. But, his aim improved, and after a week of practice he was ready to incorporate elements.
"Start with your lightning chakra. By the looks of it, that thing isn't built for flaming bolts". Sasuke nodded and took aim at the target. Channeling a little lightning chakra, Sasuke pushed it into the bolt loaded into his wrist bow. The bolt began to have a light blue glow to it. Deciding it was ready, Sasuke fired the bolt at the target. They didn't even see it travel through the air, it just teleported to the center of the target. Both Anko and Sasuke raised their eyebrows in pleasant surprise.
"I think your idea is working a lot better than a sword Uchiha"
"Now that I've gotten to this point with it, could I spend the rest of the day as a break? My bruises from last week still haven't healed".
Anko thought about it for a moment. "Alright, but that means next time you're going to be using lightning chakra while on the move, and I'm going to be kicking it up a notch with kunai". Sasuke readily agreed.
"I can finally get some Dango! I haven't been able to have any since you started training us".
Anko blinked, unsure if she heard Sasuke right. "Did you just say Dango?".
"Yeah. Why?"
Anko smirked, "You know. I think I might join you on this break Sasuke. I too haven't been able to enjoy some good dango since the start of this training session. So where to?"
Sasuke didn't know how he felt about Anko joining him, but he also knew there was no stopping her from doing so. "I usually go to Tenrai Dango".
Anko's eyes started gleaming in pride, a smirk playing across her face. She wrapped an arm around Sasuke's shoulder, "You know Sasuke. You might have just become my favorite genin". Sasuke didn't know whether that was something he should be proud of or not, but took the title anyways, secretly excited about someone being potentially as big of a lover for dango as he was.
Sasuke was wrong, Anko was not his equal in love for dango. She was greater. Sasuke had never seen someone eat so much. 'How is she still so skinny?'. The answer to that question was beyond Sasuke. In his moment of distraction, Anko swiped one of his dango sticks.
"Hey!" Sasuke exclaimed, standing up to emphasize his anger.
"You were distracted. All's fair in love and dango". Sasuke retook his seat, grumbling about pesky jounin. Anko laughed, finding the Uchiha's grumbling to be quite amusing considering what the rest of his clan had been like.
()_()_()_()_()_()
The final day before Naruto would return. There was an excitement found within Hinata and Sasuke, both eager to show their teammate their new skills. It also just so happened that today, Hinata was with Anko. So to the streets of Konoha she went, once again as Suki Hakuno.
Today she task was to act like a gossip girl and be inducted into a group. Well, Hinata had done just that. By falling into a false persona every other day, Hinata found herself more and more comfortable when she was acting, forgetting that she was the Hyuga heiress entirely sometimes, but always remembering that this wasn't her reality. Just a reality of someone else that she created. But Hinata enjoyed the moment, or atleast what she could. Out of all of the tasks Anko had set upon her, this one was the most aggravating. Part of the reason she had initially looked down on these people is because of the superficial ones being the only ones that came to mind when she thought about the common people. Now she was in the thick of it.
"Oh my gosh. Look at this bag! Do you think Aito will like it?"
"Totally! Oh, and what if you also got that scarf?"
"OMG. Yeeesss! Suki what do you think"
Hinata took a mental breath before responding, "Girl, you know I ain't good with fashion! Besides, I'm sure you could wear rags and that'd boy be all over you".
"HA ha, he might prefer it if I did only go in rags, if you know what I mean"
"HA! I think he would, but we can't come across desperate. We got to make him work for it!".
The two girls laughed at their joke, Hinata forced one herself, secretly disgusted at how casually they talked of such an inappropriate activity. Eventually Hinata found herself sitting at a little dango shop with her new "friends", discussing of all things, boys.
The two she had been able to befriend were friends whose parents traveled together and worked together for better business. Each time it seemed that instead of helping their families out, they'd just go looking for cute boys to try and seduce. Hinata had to admit they had decent looks, but she didn't think they were as attractive as the two made themselves out to be.
"Oh remember that boy from that gambling village?! Wasn't he a cutie".
"Yeah he was! Or what about that boy from the last village we were at?"
"That blonde boy?"
"Yeah! The one with the whiskers on his cheeks"
Hinata paused, her drink still to her lips. Thankfully for her, the other two didn't notice. But that didn't matter, she was still dragged into the conversation. "Hey Suki. You live here right? Do you know the boy we saw? He had one of those… those… headband thingies".
It took all of Hinata's willpower to not start shaking with nervousness. "Well I might know someone who fits the bill. But what was he wearing? Then I'd definitely know". 'Please don't be Naruto please don't be Naruto'.
"It was this cool black jacket with an orange shirt with a red swirl on it".
'Kami why'
"Oh! I know him! Well not personally of course. He's a ninja from the academy. His name is… oh what was it… Oh! It was Naruto! Yeah Naruto!". Hinata unfortunately couldn't prevent her ears from turning pink as she said this.
"Ooo. Suki are you blushing?"
After that comment, Hinata's face quickly exploded with red. "What? No!"
"Oh you are blushing! Suki likes Naruto! Suki likes Naruto!"
"It's not like that!"
"Oh Suki. We've been admiring cute boys with one day friends for almost two years now. We know when someone has a crush on someone else. And you have one on Naruto!"
Hinata slouched in her seat, burying her face in her hands. Her face felt hot to the touch.
The two laughed. "It's okay Suki! There's nothing to be ashamed about. Besides, you've got good taste. My suggestion is to snatch him up now before things really start getting competitive"
Still recovering from her blushing all Hinata could say in return was, "Wait what?".
"You've got to get him for yourself now before it's too late! Right now he may be a cute boy, but that one's going to be one hell of a man! Unfortunately we can't help you, but trust us! If you don't snatch up his heart now, you may never!"
"Really?"
"Suki. We may not have been here long but have you seen the girls in this village? You're beautiful, don't get me wrong, but so are the others! Like that pink haired girl!"
"Yeah! She was super pretty! Or what about that blond ponytail girl?!"
"Oh she's definitely going to be turning heads"
Hinata sunk lower and lower into her seat as her "friends" spoke so highly of her peers.
"But you know who you've really got to look out for?". They had once again caught Hinata's attention, and it was her full attention this time. 'Who else is going to be turning heads when they get older!'.
"That white eyed girl will take the cake. Already she's got an impressive figure. Plus that skin! I wish my skin was that pale and smooth!".
"And what about her hair! That stuff is like pen ink!"
"I always thought it was a tad blueish"
"Really, I guess it could be a deep navy but…"
Hinata didn't hear the rest of the conversation, she was still stuck on what they thought of her. 'They think I'm going to be the prettiest? Me? That can't be right. They must be talking about Hanabi'.
Interrupting the debate over her hair color, Hinata asked "Was her hair long or short?"
"Oh definitely short. But not too short either. Although I think she should definitely grow it out"
"For sure! If she kept it short, people might still see her as a kid when she gets older. To grow it out would definitely make her seem more mature"
"Yes! Change 100% helps show maturity! We're planning on cutting our hair when we get old enough to marry, Suki you should do the same!"
Hinata's mind was almost fried, it was a gift from Kami that she was able to think of a reply, "What? Oh yeah, hair. I was thinking of putting it in a different style or something instead. I kinda like my hair".
"That is true. With such rare color, you should definitely work with it. And who knows, maybe Naruto likes women with style"
"Speaking of leaf ninja, what about that black haired boy that with with the Hyuga"
"Don't get me started on him! He is sooo hot!"
Hinata didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her mind just couldn't handle it. By instinct she would nod her head at times, but that was it. Out of desperation she looked to the clock for the time and thanked Kami ten times over that training was over.
"Well I got to head home. Dad doesn't like it when I stay out too late. Always thinks that I'll be with a boy. You know how it is"
"Awww. Bye Suki!"
"We'll miss you! And don't forget what we told you. Snatch up that Naruto before it's too late! Find out where he hangs out and get talking with him. If you don't know, I don't know how much longer you have until the other girls take him away from you!"
Hinata smiled and nodded her head in understanding before walking out of the restaurant. She was sweating bullets the entire time. She hastily ducked into an alley and leaned against the wall.
"Thank Kami, Anko didn't see that," Hinata sighed.
"Oh I saw that alright"
Hinata froze, and slowly turned her head to see Anko, still disguised as Kakashi, standing on the wall above her.
"I must say, that was quite entertaining. Who knew the cold Hyuga Heiress would have her heart melted by the blonde gaki?"
"Don't tell anyone! If anyone finds out about this, I'll make sure you never get to eat dango again!"
Anko smirked, "And how are you going to do that?".
Now it was Hinata's time to smirk, "If I were to mention a certain jounin has disgraced the heiress, I would have little doubt the elders and my father would want to punish said jounin. And with our influence in the business district, I'd say it would be all too easy to have everyone ban you".
"Ha! Like they would ban their best customer"
"If it's for the right price, I don't think it matters how good of a customer you are"
Now Anko had genuine fear in her eyes. "You. You wouldn't!"
"Oh? And what makes you so sure?"
Anko tried to look for doubt in Hinata's eyes, but found none, just her own terrified face reflected back at her. She sighed in defeat. "Fine! I won't tell anyone about your crush on the blonde gaki". Hinata narrowed her eyes, but nodded her head in confirmation.
Now having that sorted and down with, Hinata removed the disguise and leapt onto one of the rooftops of the buildings they were between, deciding to take a more isolated way home.
Anko smiled as she watched Hinata leave. She started removing her own disguise. "I won't tell anyone Hinata. But that doesn't mean I won't have my fun with it". An evil grin settled on Anko's face as she imagined all the "fun" she could have with those two.
The Day of Naruto's Return
To Hinata and Sasuke's delight the day was given to rest. Besides being at the gate when Naruto arrived, they could do whatever they chose. Sasuke had taken the day to apply some healing ointment Naruto gave him to his bruises and cuts and also make some dango. He had not been able to do so in a while, and now with a fellow dango lover, could have another dedicated opinion on his work while he searched for the perfect dango recipe.
Hinata spent the morning wandering around Konoha, her thoughts anchored on what those two girls said last night, a guard trailing her at a respectful distance. 'Did they really mean what they said? Wait why does it matter! You're the heiress to the most powerful clan in Konoha! You don't get to decide who you marry. And besides. Naruto's an orphan. The Elders would never allow it! But maybe if he became powerful enough? Ahh! Politics are the worst. Why can't we just be a large family who can love and be around who we want?!'.
While lost in her thoughts. Hinata found herself interrupted when she heard, "Hi Hinata!". Looking around for the source, she found it to be Sakura and Ino. Hinata waved back, unsure. Ino then waved Hinata over. Uncertain, Hinata did as asked and walked over to the two.
"Hi Hinata. What's up?" asked Sakura. The two were looking at clothing together and both had three outfits piled up in their arms.
"I thought a walk around Konoha would be a nice break from training"
"A break! We needed one! Asuma sensei has been working us non stop! And now he's doing joint training with Kurenai sensei!"
"Don't get me started on that! Don't get me wrong, I love being able to train with Ino, but it's so hard! It's like someone made a bet on who could make their team the strongest!"
All around Konoha, jounin senseis sneezed.
"Yeah! Anyways, how about you Hinata? I heard the proctor of the second exam is helping train you. That's got to be rough. Now Hinata, what do you think of these clothes? You're on Sasuke's team, you must have some idea of what he likes. I think he's into more classy and feminine, but Sakura keeps saying he likes more tomboyish girls"
"Of course he likes tomboyish girls. He didn't even look at us in the academy! If we show him that we're serious about being a ninja, then he'll actually consider us!" counter Sakura.
"Well we weren't very classy in the academy either! If we show him we've got style, then we'll be turning his head. Besides, you don't have a crush on Sasuke anymore! After he saved your life, you're all about that Lee guy"
"I… well… That's not the point. The point is that Sasuke likes tomboyish girls!"
"No he likes classy"
Hinata zoned out as the two continued, secretly giddy about what she was about to reveal to them. "Um", both Ino and Sakura went silent, staring at Hinata for an answer. "Actually you're both wrong. You see… Sasuke's gay".
. . . .
"WHAAAATTTTT!" they both exclaimed. Hinata silently giggled at their reaction. She then spent the next several minutes having to console and explain to the two, mainly Ino, that Sasuke was in fact gay. Thankfully not many people were roaming the streets at this time.
Hinata found her escape when she looked at the clock and it was time to head over to the gate. "Well I have to be somewhere. Oh, and don't tell anyone. Sasuke has been keeping it somewhat hidden from the public. I shared that to you two because I trust you two to keep it a secret". 'When did I start trusting them? Or anyone for that matter'.
"Of course. We won't tell anybody. Hokage's honor. Besides, it's not that big of a deal that he's gay," Sakura said, then remembering Ino, who had completely deflated and was near brain dead. "Well, it's kind of a big deal. But that doesn't mean we'll treat him any different. Besides, imagine how hot Sasuke and his boyfriend would be".
That seemed to perk Ino up. The two then went into a discussion on the topic with their wild imaginations taking flight. Hinata used this as the perfect moment to slip away and head to the gates. Her bodyguard finding his presence no longer needed for now since Hinata would be with two jounin and popping into a nearby shop to try and find something special for his wife.
When she arrived, she was surprised to find Kakashi already there with Sasuke and Anko. "You're on time Kakashi sensei?".
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I didn't have a choice. I was enjoying the peacefulness of the training grounds,but it seemed Anko had other plans for me and dragged me here. Speaking of that, Anko were you limping earlier?"
Anko turned pink, "No! I was not!"
"A-huh... Anyways, I'm here, and that's that". Kakashi then returned to his book. Hinata scowled at how disgusting his reading preferences were.
After a few minutes, the village council arrived too. Every head of a prestigious clan in Konoha was present, along with the civilian council. Hiashi bowed his head in greeting to his daughter, and Hinata bowed hers back.
The two groups waited for Naruto and Jiraiya's arrival. After another ten minutes of waiting, they finally saw a group appear on the hill before the village. Unfortunately it was only another traveling merchant. After another 15 minutes, they finally saw the Sannin and his blonde apprentice. And to all of their excitement and relief, Tsunade in tow.
When they finally entered through the gate, Hinata was about to congratulate Naruto when she noticed that his shirt was missing. A rush of emotions that had been uncovered over the past month threatened to surface by making her faint, but she quickly buried it with the annoyance that if Naruto was not wearing a shirt, it probably meant he got them destroyed.
This annoyance was able to override her feelings for him and Hinata went into mother mode, as it would later be called. 'Why can't this idiot have nice things and not damage them!'. She started walking towards him. And while she technically was not stomping, to everyone else the ground rumbled with each step she took. Hiashi's eyebrows raised a centimeter in curiosity.
Naruto shrank as he saw her approach.
'This better be good!' Kakashi and Anko thought. And they were proven right as they watched Hinata tear into Naruto.
"[_}{_]"
Well you've made it to the end. Hopefully the journey wasn't too painful. The format is a little weird because the device I usually use to upload is acting weird so I have to upload a doc more on my phone and then edit it to make it right on the chromebook. And I just discovered I could edit the document on the chromebook and this issue has been around for the past few chapters. Now, I experimented a bit with new character personalities. I hope the gossip girls weren't too poorly written. I'm also aware that not everything might have lined up with what I had previously written in the story. This is my first story so the beginning wasn't constructed very well, and the planning was pretty poor. I'm hoping I've gotten better over time. I think I have, but in this case, it doesn't really matter what I think. Now, school is starting up again so you'll have to deal with late uploads potentially. I try to keep to the 2 week routine, but I'm human and we humans tend to have terribly weak wills. Anyways, enjoy your new year!