A/N: My proofreader is currently busy with his finals, so I apologize if there are mistakes I overlooked.

Double Training

Air whizzed over her head as Hinata ducked and evaded the thrust. Believing to see an opening she pressed the attack, but her opponent's other hand pushed both her arms to the side, followed by a palm strike that hit her square in the chest. She felt the air getting knocked out of her lungs as she was flung backward, hit the ground, and rolled over twice before finally coming to a halt. The young kunoichi managed to get her arms under her body and prop herself up, still gasping for air from the hit she just received.

"Get up", her father commanded. Hinata took a deep breath that threw her into another coughing fit, but she was able to get back on her feet, albeit with shaky legs. She readjusted her stance and raised her hands, thick veins bulging out around her eye sockets as she once more activated her Byakugan.

Since her release from the hospital, her father had been adamant that she needed more training. It was the first time in a long while that he trained her personally, and he was harsher than before. Though the latter, she could understand. She had made a stupid mistake, allowing herself to get poisoned during her first real fight, resulting in her being a burden for the rest of her team. She truly was a disappointment.

She didn't exactly know what happened after she passed out – Kiba's retelling of the events had been… messy, to say the least. All she knew was that they were saved by Team 7 and something about a guy with mirrors. Granted, she hadn't really paid much attention after realizing that Naruto had come to her rescue. Once she had heard that, a warm feeling had spread in her chest, and her memory of everything he had said after that was kind of blurry.

Her father had also forbidden her to take on any further C-Rank missions until her skills were up to his standard. Not like she would be able to do so anyway until Kurenai-sensei got out of the hospital. Considering the last time the two had met, she didn't even want to imagine how that confrontation would go.

As the next round of their spar was about to start, Kō Hyūga entered the training hall.

"Lord Hiashi!" he called out with a quick bow. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we received message that Hinata is expected at the Sarutobi Manor."

"When?" her father asked with a frown.

"ASAP."

The Hyūga clan head sighed, deactivated his Byakugan, and left his combat stance.

"We will continue once you are back," he declared to Hinata before leaving. The young heiress quickly grabbed her equipment, threw on her large jacket, and followed Kō to the main entrance. She wondered why the Sarutobi clan called for her. If the request came from the Hokage, wouldn't he rather call her to his office?

As the two walked in silence, Hinata realized she didn't get the chance to talk to him since her release.

"Um, Kō?"

"Yes, Lady Hinata?"

"I'm s-sorry."

To that, her former caretaker and bodyguard during her academy days raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"For what?"

"F-for failing. For d-disappointing everyone."

Kō seemed taken aback for a moment but then closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Lady Hinata, while I don't know many details, from what I heard you faced off against opponents far stronger than you should have on a C-rank mission. When we got the news that you were hospitalized after getting poisoned, I was worried sick about you. But at no point was I disappointed."

He smiled.

"And your father might not seem like it, but I know he was just as worried."

"R-really? Wasn't he angry?"

Kō's smile grew into a smirk and he chuckled.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, he was absolutely furious. Not at you though."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, the two of them reached the main gate, and Hinata, to her surprise, found a girl with pink hair waiting for her. With a nod, Kō left them alone.

"S-Sakura?" she asked confused.

"Hi there, Hinata," her former classmate and now fellow Genin greeted her and started walking, seemingly expecting Hinata to follow her. She quickly did so, doing her best to ignore Sakura's slender figure she was so jealous of. Which was difficult considering the fact that she had a 360-degree field of view.

"Where you a-also called over?" she asked in an attempt to distract herself.

"We were actually meant to meet for training, but for some reason, Tanya-sensei told us to get you guys. Naruto and Sasuke are getting Shino and Kiba right now.

At the mention of the name, Hinata stumbled and almost fell over. There it was again.

At first, when they had met Team 7 on their way to the Land of Waves, she had simply been surprised that their Jōnin-sensei didn't seem to be any older than them. Also, for some reason, the blonde girl had looked familiar to Hinata, but she couldn't recall from where. But then, Kurenai-sensei had called her Tanya, and her heart had almost stopped. Hinata only knew of one person with that name and only through mentions by either her father or the elders. And neither of these cases had been in a positive context.

"Hey, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm sorry. S-say, what is your sensei's last name?"

"Umino. She's Iruka-sensei's sister. Funny coincidence, huh?"

Hinata didn't answer. That was the final confirmation she had dreaded when she had asked the question. Tanya Umino. The one who, according to the elders, had killed her cousin Nichien. Not just was responsible for his death, killed him.

Nichien had been a member of the branch family and a couple of years older than her. Unlike Neji, who was her direct cousin, Nichien was a bit more distantly related. That combined with the age gap meant that she hadn't spent much time with him, but the two had still met occasionally. Then, when she was five, she attended his funeral. She didn't understand clan politics at that age, but even she could feel the anger that had spread among the clan at the time, an anger that exceeded mourning the dead.

"Oh, shut up Kiba! Did you forget who had to save your ass?!"

"Stop making such a ruckus, Naruto!"

Suddenly being pulled out of her thoughts, Hinata realized that they had reached their destination. Kiba and Naruto stood across from each other, the latter holding his head, while Sakura was next to him with an angry expression and her fist raised. Shino and Sasuke quietly stood next to them.

"Let's just go in already," the latter commented with an annoyed sigh. Still unsure what was going on, Hinata followed the group as a man whom she assumed to be the groundskeeper led them to a stairway downward and finally to a door. Behind it, the six Genin found an impressive, arena-like structure, with an open field in the middle and multiple tools, training posts, and practice targets lined up on the walls. It was about the same size as the academy's training field, except it was underground.

"You're late!" a stern voice greeted them. There she was. Back when Hinata had first met her, her demeanor had given her an intimidating aura. Now that she knew for sure who the blonde was and her gaze was directed right at them, she almost felt like she was suffocating and had to actively remember to breathe. It didn't matter that they were almost the same age, or that the blonde was the shortest of the bunch. To Hinata, it felt like she was a mouse staring into the eyes of a giant snake.

"By two minutes, sensei!" Naruto retorted defensively, but the girl was having none of it.

"As I said: late. So let's make this quick. While Kurenai is at the hospital, Asuma and I agreed to take turns training together with Team 8 so they don't fall behind. For starters, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, you three do the warm-up I showed you. I'll be with you in a minute; I just need to quickly assess what I'm working with."

The three nodded and started their exercises. Hinata then almost felt her heart stop as Tanya's merciless gaze focused on her.

"Hinata Hyūga, right?"

The Hyūga heiress tried to affirm, but her voice got stuck in her throat, and after two very uncomfortable seconds of her standing there with her mouth half open, she pressed her lips together and hastily nodded. If Tanya was confused by her reaction, she didn't let it show. Instead, she took on a combat stance.

"Alright, show me where you're at."

Hinata's eyes grew wide as she recognized the stance.

"Y-you know the gentle fist style?!" she blurted out, her surprise drowning out her angst for a moment.

"Yes," Tanya answered bluntly as if she had just been asked whether water was wet. "I can't utilize it properly since I lack the Byakugan, and I can't replicate the more advanced techniques that would require using all tenketsu, but I studied it thoroughly. In fact, some of my personal techniques are inspired by it. Now stop gawking and start already!"

Suppressing her befuddlement, Hinata took a deep breath and activated her Byakugan. Immediately, she could see the difference between Tanya's chakra reserves and the rest of them except Naruto, as she was somewhat comparable to her Father's.

For a second, the two stood across from each other with mirroring stances. Then Hinata attacked. Starting off with a palm strike of her right hand which got deflected, she then ducked under the retaliating hit before following up with her left hand. Tanya dodged with seeming casualness.

"Okay, stop!" Tanya called after a few more blows got traded. "What is up? You're moving wrong."

"W-was there a mistake?" She usually was good at figuring out errors in her stance in hindsight, but this time, she hadn't noticed anything. After all, they had just started.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I-"

Seemingly for no reason, Tanya interrupted herself. Then, so quickly that they could barely follow her movement, she drew a shuriken and threw it behind her. Sakura shrieked in surprise as she received a shallow cut on her left arm.

"Just because we are in training does not mean you can drop your guard! I already told you to always be prepared for an ambush!"

Team 8 collectively gave the young Jōnin a blank stare. At least, Hinata assumed they all did, with Shino it was hard to tell. Tanya however ignored them and simply continued.

"Where was I? Ah, right, your movement. Your form isn't bad, but looking at you feels like I'm watching a left-handed trying to write with their right hand."

To that, Hinata just blinked in confusion.

"I… I don't th-think I understand what you m-mean."

"Then I guess we know what you will be working on today. I don't yet know how much time together we have, so for now we should focus on things Kurenai can easily take over when she recovers. Polishing your basics and ironing out your weaknesses will be the start of that. Next, Shino."

Unlike Hinata, Shino wasn't tested physically. Instead, Tanya asked a lot of questions about his insects and how he usually incorporated them into his fighting style. Hinata didn't pay much attention and instead tried to figure out what Tanya meant when she said her movement didn't feel right.

Lastly, it was Kiba's and Akamaru's turn.

"I dare say I'm already pretty good when it comes to my family's techniques," he stated with a confident grin.

"Oh? Then I guess your dog also knows the Human Imitation?"

"Naturally," Kiba answered, but Akamaru's underlining yap didn't sound as sure. Tanya raised an eyebrow at that reaction, causing Kiba to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

"Uh, well, he still needs a soldier pill to use it."

"Overestimating yourself is an easy way to get you killed. You know that, right?"

His grin disappeared. But before he could say anything, Tanya threw another shuriken at her Team. Hinata gasped as the blade nicked Naruto's calf.

"HEY!"

"Stop. Dropping. Your. Guard!"

"I didn't!"

"If you hadn't you would've dodged it!" she growled and turned back to Kiba, who seemingly deemed it the best course of action to not react to that.

"Anyway, back on topic. While soldier pills can help you in a pinch, it is not good to rely on them and they should never be your plan A. If he can't do it on his own yet, see if you two can make it as a tandem jutsu."

She had barely finished her sentence when suddenly, Naruto stood next to them. Hinata had been too distracted to notice him coming and could feel her face getting hot at his sudden closeness.

"What was that? Don't tell me you teach them a new jutsu while we are stuck working out!"

Tanya just groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"If you eavesdrop at least do it properly, not just jump in because you heard a buzzword without context! No, I wasn't going to… ah, actually, why not?"

She quickly clapped her hands to get the attention of Team 7.

"Enough warm-up for now, we're doing a quick excursus!"

Everyone gathered once again around Tanya as she started to explain.

"Alright, tandem jutsu. Right from the start, there is no official term for it that I'm aware of, so that's just what I call it. You are free to call it partner jutsu, or whatever else. Also, this is not something you can effectively use in combat, but it's good to know the possibility exists. And finally, this is not one specific jutsu. It just means that a jutsu is performed by two people rather than one. And there are multiple different ways to achieve that. You know that you can use the transformation jutsu to transform somebody else alongside you as long as that person opens their chakra to you and doesn't resist it, right?"

All six nodded.

"Good. What I'm about to explain to you follows a similar principle. Sakura, Sasuke, put both your hands on each other's."

Immediately, Sakura's hands shot up.

"Hey, why does he get to do it?!" Naruto interrupted once more.

"Because unlike you, those two have the chakra control to pull it off. Now shut up and listen. Sasuke, hands on Sakura's."

Sasuke clicked his tongue in annoyance, but in the end, his palms rested on his teammate's.

"Good. Now, Sakura, do you know any Fire Release Jutsu?"

"Hm?" the pinkette asked, seemingly slightly absent-minded and with slightly reddish cheeks. "Oh, um, no, I don't."

"Do you know how to mold fire chakra?"

"No."

"Good. Now, both of you: do exactly what I say. Step one, focus your chakra into your palms."

Sasuke did as asked, though Sakura seemed to have trouble concentrating.

"Sakura."

Tanya sounded calm, but her voice oozed so much malice that made Hinata almost jump back. The discomfort she had felt around Tanya might have temporarily disappeared, but now it was back in full force.

"I met Ino earlier this morning. This is just supposed to be a short side lesson, if you can't do this, I'll call her over and make her demonstrate it."

Almost in an instant, Sakura's eyes took on a look of pure determination, and just for a moment, Hinata felt as if she saw Tanya smirk.

"Great, moving on. I now want you to try and feel each other's chakra. Get in sync with each other. Imagine your chakra like a swinging pendulum, and then attune your own to the same speed as your partner's."

Both of them closed their eyes, furrowing their brows in concentration. Out of curiosity, Hinata activated her Byakugan to observe their chakra networks. It was interesting to watch, seeing how both tried to synchronize their chakra flow. It was clear that both had good chakra control, especially Sakura. The problem was that, since both tried to do so, whenever they got close, they forgot that the other was doing the same and overcompensated, shooting past their target. Should she say something? Would they even want to hear her opinion? Maybe she should-

"Woah, are you alright, Hinata?"

Before she realized it, Naruto's face was directly in front of hers. Immediately, her heartbeat tripled and her head felt hotter than it had ever before. She tried to say something, but only an incoherent stammer left her mouth. What was she even trying to say in the first place? She tried to remember but found herself unable to form a clear thought.

"Sensei, I think something is wrong with Hinata! She looks like she's in pain!"

"That's her Byakugan, you Idiot!" Kiba interrupted the blonde. "The veins bulge out when she activates it!"

"Her what?"

"The Hyūga-clan's Dōjutsu," Tanya chimed in without turning around. "It gives her eyes special abilities, similar to Sasuke's Sharingan. You can ask her later, now be quiet!"

Naruto went back to where he had stood before, and Hinata barely managed to calm down enough so she wouldn't faint. Just then, Sakura and Sasuke opened their eyes again and nodded.

"Good," Tanya continued. "Now, Sasuke, make it so your hands form the hand signs for your fireball jutsu together with Sakura's hands. Besides that, do the same as you normally do, except you make Sakura use it. You also need to give her some of your chakra since she alone doesn't have enough. Sakura, you just need to open your body to Sasuke's Chakra and make the hand signs together with him."

It took a while for the two to go through all the hand signs, probably because Sakura wasn't familiar with them, but in the end, they managed to form each one with no mistake.

'Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!' [Fire Release: Great Fireball Jutsu]

Suddenly, Sakura started to hack, coughing out bursts of fire that made Sasuke jump back to evade them.

"As you see," Tanya started explaining, "with a tandem jutsu you can use techniques you normally wouldn't be able to. But it should also be obvious why this is not usable in combat. It is normally used for complicated utility-type jutsus that both partners are not able to use on their own. Of course, even if your partner does most of the work, if the jutsu requires certain movements – like blowing – you still have to do that yourself, as you just saw."

"Why, um, why didn't you say that at the start?" Sakura asked sheepishly.

"Because now you will remember it. Alright, excursus over, now I want all of you to stand at the wall and give me fifty crunches."

The six Genin gawked at her.

"What, did you think I'd let you off with being late? If one of you falls off, all of you will have to start over again. Now get it over with so we can start the real training!"

As the group went over to the wall, Hinata's 360-degree vision let her see Tanya pull out a handful of kunai.

Many heads turned as the Third Hokage stepped through the halls of the hospital, but he ignored them. While he usually loved to interact with his citizens, right now he had more important matters at hand. He kept walking past the white walls until he reached a heavy door at the end of the hallway and opened it. Behind it, he was greeted by a windowless room that, after he had closed the door again, was illuminated by nothing but a single lamp on the ceiling. It was a special, sound-proof room meant for sensitive conversations with patients that couldn't leave the hospital yet. Inside was a single bed, occupied by an old man with a muscular frame and tan skin. Upon seeing Hiruzen enter, he frowned.

"So now YOU show up?! What is all this?!"

He tried to turn his body a bit, but groaned in pain and clutched the injury on his chest.

"They just pushed me over in this… what even is this supposed to be, a cell?! I wouldn't know because no one tells me what in the world is going on!"

The Third's face hardened.

"Good to see that the fact you almost caused the death of three children with your lie doesn't faze you. The girl who got poisoned is fine by the way, in case you actually care." Despite the irony in his words, his tone made it clear that he was not up for jokes right now. The old bridge builder's gaze fell at the accusation, but he didn't budge quite yet.

"What do you want?" he asked in a lower voice than before. "Yes, I lied about the details. But you already took my money yet I am still here, doesn't that settle it?"

"That's not what I'm here for. I'm here because I want to ask you some questions."

"I already told that woman all I know, talk to her."

"I will, as soon as she wakes up from the coma saving your life put her in."

The last vestiges of stubbornness left Tazuna's face and he didn't give another retort. Hiruzen stepped closer to his bed.

"I am not in the mood to play games, Tazuna. You will either answer my questions truthfully, or I will let someone from the Torture & Interrogation department do the questioning for me. Make your choice."

"…what do you want to know?"

Under the Hokage's questions, Tazuna once more recounted the events that happened to his country, and how Gatō's company took control over the entire shipping industry. Most of what he said matched what Tanya had heard from Kiba and Shino, though it appeared as though he simply assumed greed to be Gatō's driving factor. Also, the way he described how the magnate used his economic power to slowly get the entire Land of Waves under his control matched Tanya's prediction perfectly.

"Do you know anything about Gatō working for the Land of Water?" Hirzen asked once Tazuna was done. The bridge builder shook his head.

"No, why? Is that important?"

"Forget it, just a thought. One last question: when exactly did he arrive in the Land of Waves?"

Tazuna scratched his beard.

"That was at the end of last spring. Early June, I think."

The Hokage's gaze grew dark. Early June. That was the exact time the supposed assassination attempt on the Mizukage failed and Zabuza Momochi was declared a Missing-nin. The dates matched too well to be a coincidence. As out there as it first sounded when he had first heard it, Tanya's theory was adding up.