AN: Yo! I will like to thank everybody that has read this story thus far, I now have over 3000 views…^_^

Disclaimer: Not mines not mines blah blah blah

*~*Chapter 8: Kunoichi*~*

The Hyuuga heiress finds herself sitting in the back of lecture hall not paying attention to a word her instructor is saying. Why? Well for starters, Lady Tsunnade finally gave Hinata some feedback on the sparring match between herself and Haruno. The Hokage was pleased with both Haruno and Hinata's progression in their defense, offense, and medical ninjutsu. Hearing such highly remakes from the Hokage herself was flattering BUT it is not what got Hinata's mind in overdrive. It's what the Hokage said after that….

"Ladies, it is important for you to understand what all is involved with carrying the title of "kunoichi". Being able to stand your ground and go toe-to-toe with your male counterpart is only half of your job requirements. A kunoichi must be able to adapt to any culture and customs of foreign villages. There will be times were a kunoichi physique will be the ticket to successfully completing assassinations or pulling critical information and data from feudal lords, warlocks, and sometimes other well established ninja from neighboring villages. I'm sure you academy instructors mentioned this before as you were probably completing flower arrangements am I right?"

"Hai!" They both said in unison.

"Well, what that instructor said was true in every sense of the word. I'm not saying to you that you are to devalue yourself in no type of way. But, what I am trying to get through to you is to not forget the other side of what it means to be a kunoichi. Do you understand?"

"H-Hai!" Hinata said with a stutter.

"Of course Lady Hokage." Haruno said with confidence making Hinata feel inferior once again…*sigh*

"Good." The Hokage said leaning back in her chair.

Hinata could feel her heart thumping in her chest as the intensity in the room quickly disappeared with the Hokage relaxed posture.

"Now then…" The Hokage said before drinking a cup of sake her hidden stash.

"…missions that fit the description I gave you are in a higher bracket than what you two are probably use to completing. These missions extend well over the typical two or three day mission you two participate in now. There are times where you will be away from this village well over months at a time. Like everything else in life, these missions are not for every kunoichi. You have to be sure of your own identity first before taking that of another. This is something you will learn as you partake in your kunoichi careers. I will be expecting a lot more from you now that I have clearly seen your abilities and potential. Your missions will soon reflect that. Now is NOT the time to slack up in your individual training. I will be taking you out of your comfort zone when it comes to choosing your mission partners. You need to be able to work with more than just your initial genin team. Whether you succeed or fail for the months to come is entirely up to you. Good job girls. Dismiss!"

Yep…that's how her day started. Lady Tsunnade sure does know how to crank up the pressure. And sitting here focusing on everything but what's going on in front of me is not helping my situation one bit. She looked around the classroom to see that her peers are getting up to leave. The time on her cell phone reads 1630 which means that lecture is over with. She rubbed her temples absent-mindedly, (a new habit she has picked up to replace her thumb twiddling), she has just spent the past two hours in lecture hall and all she has to show for it is a blank set of scrolls. If her team was to witness this she is sure that Kiba would laugh at her and Shino would probably shake his head at her carelessness. She gathers her things and makes her way to the door. Hinata has always been serious about getting stronger and proving her worth as a Hyuuga, but the Hokage words made her feel like she wasn't trying hard enough. Yeah, she trains until each breath is ragged and she always push on even when her muscles start to scream in protest. But what if that has not been enough? She throws her apartment keys in the bowel on the counter and changes into her training gear. If the Hokage really means what she says then I need to step it up a notch. She goes to her closet and takes out her birthday gift from Lee two years ago. He gave her a set of ankle weights explaining to her that "the gift of youth is blah blah blah…"before giving her two thumbs up and a flashing smile. Well…I'm always open to new training methods. Shino told her how Lee-kun speed increased ten-folds after he removed his own ankle weights in his battle against Gaara-sama. She strapped on the weights underneath her black cotton pants and changed into a purple crew neck tee. Ready…she said running a hand through her layered locks. It's only been two-weeks since she had her hair cut and already her hair is growing back. She has to remind herself to make a hair appointment whenever she gets the time. She took her first step and almost fell. Now that I think about it…, she thought while regaining her balance, I never asked Lee how many kilos are in each weight. *sigh* It's going to take me some time to get accustomed to the extra weight all I have to do is be patient…she thought while using her bedroom window as her exit. She don't like to take her keys with her doing training for she is scared that she will loose them. Besides, jumping from a four story window should be child's play for a Chunin. Her landing was a little ungraceful but it's ok…she's sure no one saw her. She walks to the training field waving to Shikamaru-kun on her way there. Focusing back to the warning Tsunnade-sama gave her, she would like to think that she is in good standing with all of the rookie-nine…although she is not too sure about Haruno-san. She cannot personally say that she has been on more than two missions with any of the other rookie-nine since she has made Chunin, but any good ninja worth their name knows that teamwork is the fabric of all successful missions. She began her solo training with basic tree jumping. With the weights added it proves to be quite a challenge. Hinata is not as naive as people like to believe…at least when it comes to fighting. She is fully aware that people perceive her to be inexperience to real battle. But what they don't know is that she has completed many missions where her life as well as her teammate's lives has been put at stake. Hinata has to be extra careful on any mission that she goes on because there are still villages out there that have a price for her eyes. She is also conscious to the fact that she is not viewed as highly as Sakura-san or even Ten-Ten because no one has really taken the chance to actually "see" her in action. But it's ok though, a true ninja welcomes the shadows, it is where they do their best work. Hinata took a couple of minutes to work on her balance on a less than sturdy tree branch before jumping from tree branch to tree branch altering her landings from her feet to her hands with each leap. Flexibility and speed are major components to the Hyuuga style taijutsu. Both in which she is decent in, but decent is not good enough for her. Nothing is ever good enough for her; she is always pushing herself in all that she does. Even something as simple as making ointment faces her criticism. Each jar of solvent has to be better than the last, the effect has to be stronger than the last, the duration has to be longer than the last, and even the ingredients have to be of better quality than the last. Failure is no longer an option for Hinata. Her self-criticism is a side that she wishes no one would see her struggle with, for showing doubt and uncertainty is a sign weakness in her eyes. And she wishes to never portray herself as she did during the Chunin exams ever again. She wishes not to be viewed as a person who needs "saving". Yeah, she stood her ground but in the end she still had to be rescued. It is hard enough to gain respect as a woman and it is even harder to be viewed as an equal in the ninja world. With every appearance she makes, she tries her best to be seen as a poised, tranquil, and composed kunoichi. But even that…to her at least…is never good enough. She flips from the tree branch into a small clearing within the forest to practice her taijutsu.

All of this mental rambling that is going on in her head is normal for her. She thinks of it as compensation for her fading stuttering problem. But back on subject, she said to herself while positioning into a defensive pose. How am I going to improve my taijutsu? She is using the ankle weights to improve her speed and she plans on mastering water ninjustu since it works so well with her chakra control. Then once she masters water she will move on to different elements and even venture into genjutsu a little…well that's the plan at least. As of now, her taijutsu has improved immensely, but it can always be better. Her game plan is to get a foundation of various offensive and defensive styles of martial arts, tweek it, and then incorporate it so that it fits with her family based taijutsu. She has already checked out a couple of scrolls and books to put her plan in motion. Confident in her new plan of action, she puts a little more "oomph" in her next sequence of strikes and kicks. She already has a basic understanding of Judo and Akikdo style of fighting and she is currently working on building a foundation of Tai Chi into her defensive arsenal. Thinking about Tai Chi, Hinata quickly switches her stance to resemble it, and begins reenacting a few sequences she memorized from the day before. Just a little bit more and I'll retire for the day, she thought while taking a cleansing breath. She's done rambling for the day. So she only concentrated on her stances. Focus on your breathing and use your enemy's momentum to your advantage, she thought to herself. With her final sequence of Tai Chi, Hinata struck her palm with the ball of her fist, thus ending her solo training for the day. She did a couple of stretches before sprinting back to her apartment window.

The first thing she did before taking those God awful weights off her ankles was put on some water for some tea. She went to her room and immediately turn on her shower water to let it heat up. It is only eight o'clock but as soon as I get out of the shower I'm going to make some chamomile tea and hit the hay. Just thinking about the combination of a hot shower, followed by tea and sleep made our heiress all warm and fuzzy inside. It is the smaller things in life that she enjoys the most. Stripping herself of her sweaty clothes, she hopped into the shower without a second thought. Hinata lathered her hair with some generic shampoo and conditioner while the hot water kneaded her overworked limbs. After letting the water get cold, Hinata stepped out of the shower to dry off and put on her nightclothes…well they weren't really nightclothes just some cotton shorts that stopped to her knees and a blue v-necked t-shirt, nothing fancy. Throwing her wet towels in the clothes hamper, she exited her room and into the kitchen to get her tea. She cut the light off in her room and headed towards her bed using the moonlight as her guide. "No studying tonight..."She said to herself while pulling her covers back with one hand. It is not that often that she allows herself to have a break, but she will make an exception for tonight. Hinata took a few more sips of tea before placing it on her nightstand. The combination of a hot shower and chamomile tea has made her weary just as she had hoped for. She pulled her covers tightly over her body before sleep took her hostage.

.

.

.

.

…someone's at my door… she thought with her eyes still close. The presence of whoever it was at her front door was so strong that they didn't have to knock (and they didn't).Their presence was familiar to our sleeping beauty, but unfortunately she is too tired to put a face to it. I don't feel any killer intent so maybe they will go away if I don't answer, she thought with a yawn. Three minutes...five minutes…seven minutes…*sigh* expressed Hinata as she pulled her covers to the side to get up. Whoever this is, it better be important she thought. She walked up to the door and yanked it open, not even worried about her outward appearance. The outside hallway was dark but she could see the silhouette hoisted up in the corner. "Hai…?" She said clearly annoyed. There was no use to activating her Buykugan because her vision is still hazy from being awaken abruptly.

"Ojamashimasu (1)." The silhouette said hoarsely pushing himself of the hallway wall.

"Uchiha-san! " she exclaimed while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, obviously that got her attention.

"Oa…Oagari ku..kudasi (2) " She said nervously, mentally kicking herself for stuttering.

She turned the light next to her kitchen table on high, but she quickly put it on dim after hearing Sasuke hiss from the sudden brightness.

"Gomen…I was inconsiderate." She said while she helped him take his gear off.

It doesn't take a genius to see that he has been through hell and back. His eyes are red from strain and his jaw tenses with even the slightest of movements. Although she needs to know the environment he was in for medicinal purposes she will spare him the questions this once. He attempted to lift his arms to take his shirt off but just watching him struggle was just too painful to watch. She placed her hand on his arm to still him and moved in to take his shirt off for him. Cuts, bruises, and makeshift bandages littered his body. She helped him limp over to a chair and let him use her shoulder for balance as he eased in the chair…back injury perhaps? He jerked up slightly when she let go too early….definitely a back injury. She almost tripped on her feet as she went to her medical cabinet to pull out clean bandages, cotton, some towels and antiseptic wash…along with tweezers, a suture needle and some thread…just in case. She return to find Sasuke somewhat relaxed then when he was earlier. Hinata kept conversation to a bare minimal only talk to give directions. She laced the antiseptic wash with analgesics so there would be no sting when she applied the solution to the various cuts and scrapes that covered his torso and arms.

Fortunately, her medical ninjutsu skills have improved so she was able to mend the deeper cuts with her chakra close enough so that all it required was bandages. She used her fingertips like an eraser to heal all of the minor nicks and scratches on his arms and back noticing how tense he become as she moves closer to his middle back. His pants legs are loose enough to roll up as she inspected his lower extremities. Surprisingly, her nervousness is not present like it was the first time he was in this fix. Perhaps I'm getting use to him…? This is a good thing for her. One can't use the word friend if you scarred to be around them. All it took was a little time…she thought to herself. With the last cut healed on his right thigh, Hinata rolled his pants legs back down.

"Done." She said absent-mindedly, while wiping some sweat off of her brow.

She peered up to find Sasuke sound asleep with his chin resting on his patched up chest. Hinata decided to leave him like that until she could prepare a heat prep to put on his back. Back in her kitchen, Hinata put some uncooked rice into a bowel and set it in the microwave along with a cup of warm water. She programmed the microwave on low heat and set it for 5 minutes before pushing start. Hinata tip-toed past Sasuke, who was still passed out at her kitchen table, to grab some fleece material from her hallway closet. Making her way back to the kitchen in time to silence the timer before it went off, she open the door and put the moistened uncooked rice on top of the fabric before folding it over. She don't have time to sew it up so she used some crazyglue she found on top of her refrigerator to close the edges. Hinata walked back to Sasuke and lightly touched him on his shoulder to bring his out of his slumber before softly saying…

"I need to place this on your back Uchiha-san." She said.

She watch him lift his head and pry open a heavy lidded eye as he replied "..iie (3)."

"It will only take a minute..." She tried again.

"…Iie." He said closing his eyes and resting his chin back on his chest.

Hinata stood there in silence with the hand she had on his shoulder now on her hip giving him a stern look. The hard-headed Uchiha opened up both eyes this time give her a quick glance before closing them and saying…

"Iie…"

She moved closer to his side and gave him a quick finger jab to his side.

The hiss that slipped from his mouth while he arched his back made her feel guilty…but only a little. Tch…men…she thought as she used this opportunity to slap the homemade heat pack onto the middle of his back. She saw his shoulders relax as she wrapped his back with elastic bandages being extra careful that the heating pad stayed in place. Hinata fasten the bandages with an aluminum clip when she was done.

She stood in front of him and viewed her handiwork…I'm getting good at this, she thought. Hinata walked out of her kitchen en route to her spare bedroom to turn her covers down. It would do Sasuke more harm to walk home by himself then for him to stay over…just until morning though. He made a quick recovery the last time he was here so I'm not too worried about reporting this to the Hokage.

"Do you thnk you can stand?" She asked the sleeping Uchiha.

"Hai.." He replied scooting closer to the edge of the chair.

"Here…" she said bending down so he could use her shoulder for support "..use my shoulder as leverage." She heard him sigh out of frustration as he realized that he was not going to be able to get up from such a low position without some extra support.

"On the count of three…one…two…THREE!" She said with a grunt.

That went better than I thought it would, the medical ninja thought as she usher the injured limping Uchiha into his temporary room. Both of her beds are high so he should not have a problem getting in or out of bed and he's aches should be gone by tomorrow as soon as the analgesics kick in. That just leaves the heating pack…

"Uchiha-san, unfortunately, I will be in and out of your room at least twice to re-heat your heating pad. I know this will interrupt your sleep but I rather tell you now then wait till it is time. Also don't worry about dirtying my sheet I can wash those and your clothes tomorrow morning. " She saw him raise an eyebrow to her last response.

"Um...let me rephrase that…my teammates leave their clothes here all the time. I have extra pairs of t-shirts and pants in this drawer here." She said pointing to the dresser behind her. Sasuke nodded in reply.

"Well I know you're tired so I'm going to get you some water to put on the nightstand and return to my room. If you need anything before it is time for me to change your heat pack don't hesitate to ask ok?" Hinata said reassuringly, as she watches Sasuke give her another nod. She took his sandals off for him because watching him attempt to kick them off with his feet was just pitiful.

"Geez Sasuke, whatever happened must have given you a run for your money, huh?" She said shyly.

"Yeah…" He relied hoarsely as she left to get his glass of water.

When she returned he had one leg in and the other out of the bed already. She didn't want to damage his pride more than she already has so she let him get into bed by himself. Hinata place the glass along with two green apples on the nightstand closest to the bed and turned to exit.

"Hinata…" Sasuke said with both legs now on her bed.

"Yes.." She said softly.

"Kakashi might come here." He said while taking a sip of water.

"Why?" She said confused.

"I haven't given my report yet…not that it matters…but I'm sure Sakura will send him to look for me." He said resting his back on her headboard.

"I understand…." She said not turning back to say goodnight.

The clock in her room read 9:15 pm. She set her cell phone alarm to ring in 1 hour. Hinata washed her hands in her bathroom, her mind still contemplating on what Sasuke just said. I'm sure Sakura will send him to look for me…Are they together??? She pushed the invasive thought out of her head. Sasuke and I are not a couple nor were they even on the verge of beginning a relationship. What he do on his spare time is none of my concern…we're just friends. Finding strange comfort in her last thought she got back underneath her covers. She's tired…and a little chakra drained. There goes my peaceful night she thought sarcastically while turning on her side. Hinata laid there in silence as she waited for sleep to claim her again.

Why do I *yawn* even care?

Hinata thought before succumbing to sleep once again…well at least for a hour.

===========================================================================End of Chapter 8===============

1 Sorry to bother you…

2 Please come in…

3 No

A/N:I apologize for the wait, I haven't had time to work on it like I wanted to, the story might have a slow pace to some and for that I am sorry but that is how I want it to be. I hope that everyone gets what I'm trying to do here… ^_^" Until again…..

Ciao,

Bleubutterfly

P.S. Sorry if you catch any grammar mistakes and if you have any questions about the story don't hesitate to ask me ^_^