A/N: Not a whole lot to say before this one, introducing a few characters with some more depth than before. Feel free to comment how you feel about the story, good or bad. I'm pretty rusty at writing in a Fanfiction setting, if that wasn't clear by my last stories being updated over 12 years ago or so. Criticism is a helpful tool to improve for us all. I don't delete any comments just because they're less than optimistic, so go wild ya filthy animals.
12/31/24 Repost: revision done to correct some grammatical errors and sloppy mistakes. I've caught several in the prologue and chapter 1, but this one had too many for me to ignore and not correct. This update is about a 40% rewrite with the same premise, the last portion in particular did not do any justice to what I was trying to get across. If you want to reread it, I'd recommend it, there's about an additional 2k wordcount to this version.
Chapter 2: Sneaky Repercussions V2
As the academy was dismissed and students began to disperse from the building, Baki found himself trailing behind Kiba, his mind occupied with nefarious thoughts of how to humiliate and humble the little mutt. The sting of Kiba's instigation still lingered; the constant slights everyone had been taking at him for the past week had reached the threshold of what he could tolerate. Baki couldn't shake the desire to get some revenge and what better way to do that than by smashing Kiba into the dirt like the background character he was.
The blonde was so preoccupied in his scheming he hadn't noticed he gained a tail of his own. Hinata was silently pursuing after him, a container devoid of cinnamon buns in her hands and a concerned expression on her face.
Kiba swaggered down the village proper, hooting and hollering with a couple civilian boys in their class. They were particularly ecstatic about getting both Sasuke and Baki injured in one fail swoop. As they walked, one by one, they separated off in different directions after loud farewells. Eventually leaving only Kiba and his dog as they rounded a corner into one of the clan districts. There was nearly a dozen of them in Konoha and this one apparently housed the Inuzuka.
Baki lingered a few more paces behind, giving Kiba ample opportunity to get some distance between them before following through after, like a predator does his prey. His plans were abruptly interrupted when he walked into a brick wall of a person. Out of polite habit, he made motion to apologize before pausing as he realized who he had walked into.
Rock Lee, dressed in his distinctive green jumpsuit and with a determined expression etched on his face, hadn't take a single step back from the impact, utterly unphased. Lee brushed clothes clean of imaginary dust before looking at Baki with a curious gaze, his wide eyes scanning him up and down as if grading his appearance. Baki opened his mouth to finally voice out an apology but was cut off by Lee's loud and disciplined voice, "I do apologize! It seems I have harmed you in our collision!"
Baki bit back on the apology as he winced from the volume. God, Lee was loud. He smiled and waved him off with a nonchalant gesture, "You're good man, you didn't hurt me."
Lee flinched back slightly as if he couldn't fathom such an answer. He gave Baki another once over and voiced dubiously, "While I admire your intentions, please accept my sincerest apology! Gai-sensei warned me to watch out for our civilian friends, as we can easily harm their tender and soft bodies! I have surely harmed you in some way!"
The blonde stared at the teen with thinly veiled irritation. Did Lee seriously just call him tender? What a nice way to call someone a total bitch.
With a fake smile stretching his lips, Baki insisted, "I'm good dude, seriously. Kind of in a hurry here, so if you could fucking move-"
A monotonous voice interrupted him, "Lee quit being a fool; that's my cousin's errand boy. He's in the academy, so despite his lackluster appearance, you didn't actually hurt him...Probably."
The transmigrator couldn't reign in his exasperation as Neji Hyūga and Tenten waltzed in behind Lee, from who knows where, just to throw more shade his way. Ignoring Lee for the moment, and all thoughts of pursuing Kiba abandoned, Baki glared at Neji. He had enough of being called a weakling by every douchebag he came across! Spitting on the ground, he snarked, "The fuck is that supposed to mean, you pale eyed bastard?"
Neji didn't show the slightest bit of concern at Baki's anger, merely opting to gaze further away at something not visible to the others. The cousin he had mentioned was lingering some distance away, watching like a hawk. How curious.
Tenten quirked an eyebrow at Baki, clearly not impressed by his build or words. She muttered to herself, "He's in the academy? The standards really must be dropping these days..."
Lee, God bless the simple little bastard, realized his error and apologize much more urgently than before, "Oh-my, I cannot excuse my ignorance! I have insulted the pride of a fellow shinobi-in-training! Gai-sensei would be disappointed in me if he learned of this!" He grabbed Baki's hands with an iron grip and demanded like a siren, "PLEASE STRIKE ME FOR MY CRASS WORDS, SO I MAY REPENT!"
Baki struggled to pull his hands away from the impossibly strong boy before an idea popped in his head. The gears slowly began to turn as he realized he could take advantage of Lee's over the top sense of honor. A chance to find out where he stood amongst the real heavy hitters of this generation had presented itself. With a schooled expression of seriousness, the pudgy preteen demanded sternly, "If you wish to apologize, train with me today. I'm in the need of a strong opponent and you fit the bill, Rock Lee."
Tenten and Neji grew alarmed expressions as they heard what could only be defined as famous last words. Lee with greater vigor than before roared his acceptance, "IT WOULD BE MY HONOR, MY NEW FRIEND! LET'S MAKE HASTE TO THE TRAINING GROUNDS! YOSH!"
The miniature Might Gai proceeded to drag the much larger Baki off into the distance like a toddler does their toy - effortlessly with reckless abandon. Even if Baki had half a mind to look as he was lofted away, he wouldn't have noticed Hinata and the rest of Team 9 sneakily taking to the rooftops after them.
Blood had been dribbling down his face for quite some time before Baki was willing to admit he might have made an error in challenging Lee so early on. The little bastard had him running laps around a two-mile long field with a small boulder strapped to his back for a warmup. Regardless of the surprising strength his body had and the physical training he had been doing the week prior, Baki was nowhere near strong or conditioned enough to keep pace with the proclaimed 'Prodigy of Hard Work' Rock Lee. The blonde was near heatstroke levels of exertion in the cold of winter, before they switched to pushups, squats, lunges and other calisthenics - all with that stupid boulder still strapped to his back!
When Lee had deigned them both all good and loosened up to begin sparring, Baki was practically catatonic with exhaustion. What made matters worse, he couldn't track Lee's movements, the kid was a literal blur. Even further insult to injury, he was well-aware the teen was wearing crazy weights under those infamous legwarmers. The only thing he could do was try, and fail, to raise a preemptive defense as Lee pattered him with blows that shook his bones upon impact.
Among all the disciplines he practiced in his previous life, stand-up was his weakest link, having never taken an actual pursuit to learn more than the basics of boxing and muay-thai. He didn't need to learn much more than that; he never tried to be a professional fighter after his collegiate wrestling career was over, content to just roll around with unathletic wizards at his local BJJ gym when he wanted to.
When the need arose, he was more than competent enough with his hands to smash anybody he'd ever fought. For anybody better than that, his high-level grappling made him a shark in an ocean of people who didn't know how to swim.
But this was not that life. He wasn't that person here. Shit, he couldn't even remember the name of that person!
Lee was too fast and too slippery to get a hold of, much less get down. Now, his lack of skill of when it came to fighting on his feet was coming back to bite him. The traps he set in attempt to get Lee in his world of expertise were not tricky enough work and left him vulnerable. Case and point, when he went for an imanari-roll of things, Lee axe kicked him so hard he nearly puked. Being slick meant nothing if your opponent was just that much faster than you. He did manage to clip the Taijutsu savant with a few glancing shots here and there, but if the give and take ratio was being measured, Lee was operating at something close of 20 to 1.
So, thirty minutes into the worst ass-beating of his life, breathing through lungs made of broken glass and hefting limbs that felt like Jello, Baki did the reasonable thing.
He dug fucking deeper.
Lee's viciously quick five punch combo missed each connection by parries and dodges of the slimmest margins. A sharp jab smacked Lee's nose as the Genin moved into the finishing sequence of his attack - a spinning back-kick to the midsection. It was solidly blocked with extended palms, but still managed to send his large opponent skidding across the dirt as blood and sweat flew from his body. Lee's bushy eyebrows bucked in surprise as he wiped a small drop of blood from his nose. Baki had successfully countered a complete sequence for the first time in the spar! He wasn't just using the same few combinations either, Lee was genuinely mixing his attacks frequently!
The blonde was staring at him with fire behind his swollen and nearly forced shut eyes, rough sounding breaths escaping his busted lips in defiance.
He had begun to keep up with blows he couldn't see and fire back - a true sign of his battle sense awakening.
Lee was taken aback by the sight, something resonating deep within him he couldn't quite put into words. As the pair stared at each other in silence, the sun began to set, a reminder of how long they had been going at each other. Lee grew a serious expression and asked evenly, "What drives you to keep fighting, friend? I can see you've gone far beyond your limits quite some time ago, yet you've managed to improve when you should be slowing down. I've never encountered such attrition."
Baki felt a chill run down his spine from Lee's question, a serious goosebump moment if he ever had one. He gathered his breath and grimaced, "I've been told I'm just too stubborn to quit. Aren't you the same, Lee...or have I misjudged you?"
Lee swallowed heavily. What drive! He nodded repeatedly, retorting passionately, "I am! If it is alright, I'd like to share my goal with you. Will you listen?"
Baki spat a loogie of blood and grunted his acceptance, the most articulate response he could manage in his exhaustion.
Lee flashed a million-watt smile and proclaimed, "I will prove one day that hard work can surpass natural talent! I am a Shinobi who can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu, born with no talent or any redeeming qualities. But my Taijutsu will carry me to the very top among the likes of geniuses and prodigies! I will accomplish this no matter how many people tell me it's hopeless! Like you, I too have been told I'm just too stubborn to quit!"
Lee felt his own goosebumps as Baki cracked an eerie but intense grin, his blood making the image that much more aweing. He spoke as if the words were funny, "When someone tells you that you can't do something, perhaps you should consider that they are only telling you what they can't do, Lee."
The humor fell from his face as the fire returned, "Enough gum-flapping. Let's finish this, friend."
He beckoned Lee to 'come hither' as he prepared for their final clash. Lee, enamored with the sudden feeling of kinship with another, grinned a smile full of teeth and blitzed forward with all the speed and power he possessed. Baki eyes narrowed, he could see him! This time, his strike would land true. He struck out like a snake, his fist carrying more momentum and speed than he had ever gathered before, ready to punch the other boy's lights out-
Baki's world went black as he was removed from the conscious realm.
Lee breathed a little heavily as the fight ended, his excitement taking more out of him than he had realized. He slowly approached Baki's prone form to wake him, but a large hand landed on his shoulder and stopped him. Lee looked up and saw the proud and smiling visage of his mentor, Might Gai. The elite Jounin shook his head and stated, "Let him rest Lee. He will be alright...what a powerful display you two showed. Truly, I am proud."
Lee smiled brightly and was practically bouncing with excitement, "Gai-sensei, how long have you been watching? My new friend here, he really is amazing! I think I've finally met someone like me!"
Gai chuckled and patted the teen on the head roughly, "Yes, I can see that! Our young friend there is a fellow beacon of youth! I also believe this has been a good lesson for you; never judge someone by their appearance alone or you'll find yourself being made the fool. Your new friend, he was quite a surprise, no?"
Lee shrunk slightly, realizing Gai had been watching since the start. The Genin nodded grimly and announced, "Yes Sensei! You are completely right!"
Gai simply ruffled the boy's hair some more and turned his gaze to the tree line, "Neji, Tenten, let that be a lesson to you as well. You are no less guilty than Lee here."
The pair broke their cover and nodded their acceptance, joining Lee and Gai in the field. Tenten seemed to have a mild form of respect for the unconscious boy on the ground after watching the workout and spar, but Neji remained totally indifferent. The Green Beast of Konoha, seemingly content with his lesson imparted on his students, nodded to himself and commanded, "I believe you all have had a long enough day and learned a valuable lesson. Let's go home. Lee's friend is expecting company."
Team 9, in all of their glory, disappeared from the training ground with quick uses of the body flicker jutsu.
Soon after, Hinata approached from her own place of hiding, a stoic Ko on her heels. She walked steadily to Baki, an unreadable expression on her face as she examined his bloody and beaten form. A wave of emotions flashed over her from disgust to anger, and array of others, before settling on resigned sadness. She placed the empty container she was carrying on his tattered shirt and whispered sharply, "Take him home. That's an order, Ko."
The branch member knew better than to question her. The Hyūga heiress marched away with a chip on her shoulder.
Baki would later awake in his apartment feeling like he had gone through a blender. If not for the concussion he was suffering from, he may have wondered how he had gotten back home or wrapped in bandages of all things. Instead, he closed his eyes and lulled himself back to sleep, never noticing the empty container resting at the foot of his bed.
Baki felt like clawing his eyeballs out in frustration as another plume of smoke revealed nothing but another waste of chakra.
It had been two weeks since his training session with Lee and he had made many great strides in the skills and abilities of this new world. Physically he was far stronger and faster than before, the benefit of burning fifteen kilos of fat off his frame. While still sporting noticeable flab, his chest had finally stuck out further than his gut and he could actually see his 'little guy' without sucking in. To put into perspective, he may be physically larger and heavier than the other boy, but Baki looked in better shape than Choji now.
Not exactly a major accomplishment by any means, but it was something.
Along with finding a groove in using weapons like kunai and shuriken, as unorthodox his throwing technique was, his progress was noticeable. Iruka nearly had a stroke trying to correct his form, but Baki defied him tooth and nail, throwing kunai in (his opinion) a realistic style that produced greater accuracy and consistency in distance and power. He couldn't delete a lifetime of technique throwing things like footballs and baseballs just for some sleight of hand trick that didn't physically make any sense. The results showed and Iruka couldn't find any fault in his style other than it 'just being wrong'.
Game is game, man.
Back to his current predicament, Baki was still unable to mold his chakra effectively enough to use the clone or transformation jutsu. What made matters even worse, the fat sack of shit who owned this body before him (the real Baki) was actually very talented with the two techniques according to Iruka and everyone else who felt like needlessly reminding him when he failed. After. Every. Single. Attempt!
To add to his frustration, the substitution jutsu came naturally to him, something that the other Baki was apparently very poor with. He could only rationalize it was due to some complicated Ying-Yang bullshit.
Iruka was no great help, since he seemed to believe Baki was just going through 'an imbalance of energies', something that could happen when an aspect of someone's chakra changed dramatically. The Chunin simply shrugged him off and dismissed it as something that would work itself out eventually. Considering how well he was preforming with things he used to struggle with, Iruka was confident he would get over it.
His next choice was to ask Hinata for help, but for whatever reason the girl had been acting strange and distant towards him ever since the day after he trained with Lee. He had no idea why she was acting as if he didn't exist; he hadn't done anything to piss her off to his knowledge and, to be completely honest, Hinata was a puzzle he just couldn't figure out. She didn't even wish him a happy birthday the week prior, and he had gone through the trouble of baking for her on her own special day!
The house bet was still heavily in favor of her just being a crazy, see-through-walls, murderer in training.
Would it be emasculating to admit it kind of hurt his feelings when the little goofball stopped sitting next to him in class?
Yes, it would and therefore, he wouldn't.
The mentally mature adult would rather eat his own shit than be vulnerable to a girl half his age, especially over something as fickle as his feelings.
Yes, mature was definitely the right word to describe his mindset.
Feeling a bit defeated with the whole situation, Baki decided to swallow his pride and seek help elsewhere. He remembered seeing Ino, the talented kunoichi, and grand Sasuke meat-glazer second only to Sakura, effortlessly perform the Transformation technique and Clone jutsu in all their previous sessions. As much as he hated asking for her help, he knew it would be necessary to get past this hurdle.
Committing himself to a session of brown nosing and eating shit, Baki waited for the class to be dismissed before following the others out the door. He easily found his fellow blonde amongst the crowd of students leaving the academy, chatting with some girls from their class he had never really bothered to learn the names of. Walking up to the group of girls, Baki called out lackadaisically, "Ayo~Ino."
The Yamanaka heiress turned his way in mild surprise before a grimace stretched on her lips when she realized it was just him. She groaned, "What do you want, chunks? Can't you see I am busy?"
Deep breaths, big guy, deep breaths.
An easy smile melted into place as he nodded casually, "Yes, very busy, I have no doubt. I only need a moment and I'll be out of your hair. Which looks exceptionally nice today, so vibrant and smooth. I bet that takes a while to prepare."
Ino cocked an elegant eyebrow in confusion, as one of the girls, Ami if he remembered correctly, preened jauntily, "Ooh, I think the big guy has a crush on Yamanaka. C'mon girls, let's leave the lovebirds be. Sasuke is training by the lake today, you know what that means~ Shirt's coming off!"
Baki's smile dropped as Ino's grimace deepened, the pair of them scoffed in unison, "Piss off." - "Fuck off."
The pair of blondes shared bewildered expressions at each other as Ami grumbled to herself and left with the flock of other girls. Ino brushed a strand of hair out of her face and gave Baki a quizzical look, "What do you want Baki? I hope that bitch isn't right, and you've suddenly fallen for me just because Hinata left you high and dry."
Baki shook his head and drawled, "What? Nah. No offense, Ino, you're very pretty and all, but that's not what this about. I'm in need of help and I think you're the best person to ask."
Ino frowned and rubbed her chin suggestively, "Sorry, I don't think I can help you fix whatever you did to Hinata. She freaks me out, and frankly, she's a lunatic. I don't do crazy."
Baki rolled his eyes and corrected her with a sigh, "Again, not what this is about, you minx. My control over the mental part of my chakra is way out of whack lately. You're by far the most talented with it in the class, so I was hoping you could help me solve my problem. I think I'm just forgetting something very basic."
Ino smirked at the compliment and mused, "So you do recognize my greatness, hah. I guess you're not as dull as you look, Baki...buuuut, what's in it for me? My time is very precious, you know."
Prepared to bargain, Baki laid his cards out on the table like a businessman, "Sakura - utter humiliation - right in front of Sasuke. Whenever the opportunity suits you. All for a simple explanation."
Ino hardly had to think about it. Extending her hand out, she shook on it, "Deal. Now, how can I help you, my rotund friend."
An amused chuckle escaped him as he found her change of attitude amusing. He gestured to himself and spoke slowly, "When you use the transformation technique, what exactly do you do, step by step. Explain it like you're talking to someone who can't tell their right hand from their left. A real glue sniffer. Like Naruto. Or, unfortunately, me in this situation."
Ino hummed to herself as she gave him a once over, something that people were doing a lot of lately. After a while, she asked simply, "Are you not circulating charka in your brain when you start the technique? Illusionary techniques are centered from the mind, unlike physical jutsu that come from the body."
Baki felt his mouth fall agape as she continued in stride, "You have, admittedly, been improving a lot lately in the physical department. And don't you dare think I'm calling you attractive, because that's a fat NO. But you're in better shape and you can use the substitution pretty well, which is generally channeled from your center or core. Judging from that intelligent look on your face, you've been trying to muscle a mental technique, dummy."
Baki stared at Ino for a few moments in utter silence before he closed his open mouth. He took a deep breath and bowed his head, muttering lowly, "Ino, have I mentioned how pretty and intelligent you are?"
The pompous girl nodded sagely, "Yes, and you should."
Her fellow blonde nodded as well, accepting that as the truth, and stated, "I will do better to mention it more. Thank you for your help, but if you would please excuse me, I have to reevaluate the perception of my own intelligence. Preferably at the bottom of a deep ravine, far, far away."
Ino snorted and shooed him away, growing an amused smile of her own. Maybe Baki wasn't so bad after all?
A sudden chill ran down her spine as she felt someone staring at her. She turned around and saw the familiar figure of Hinata lingering at the entrance of the academy, an icy glare burrowing into the depths of her soul. Ino's smile faded as quickly as it came as she hurried towards her home and away from the crazy Hyūga heiress. Baki was not worth the trouble if meant dealing with that psychopath.
Baki stared in awe at the dozen perfect clones of him standing at attention in the training field. Releasing the hand seal that popped them into existence, he examined the illusions with childlike curiosity. Chakra truly was a wonderful gift to use, and now it was even better that he understood it just a little bit more than before. He really had to thank Ino for her help again, he couldn't believe she had solved a problem that's had him stumped for the better part of a month by calling him a meathead. Having to humiliate Sakura in front of Sasuke really was no tall task either, the pink haired girl basically did that by herself already. He wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but maybe he should do something a little extra for the girl to show his gratitude?
A sly grin tugged on his lips. He better not, less he anger the powers that governed this whacky world. Lee had been a good reminder not to write cheques his ass couldn't cash. Content to simply be on the winning side this time, Baki dispelled the clones and made motion to start his daily workout. Just as the transmigrator began to stretch, he heard someone approaching from behind, their footfalls crunching the light layer of January snow on the ground. He turned around and was unprepared to see an absolutely chilly looking Hinata glaring daggers at him.
Not unlike Ino a while ago, his smile fell just as quickly as it appeared seeing the clearly angry girl.
Baki, in all his wisdom and intelligence, did the only thing that came to mind. He waved like an idiot, "Oh, hey Hinata. Lovely weather, isn't it? You want to hang out or something, it's been a while?"
Hinata didn't reply immediately, her icy glare leveled at him unflinchingly. Baki started to grow apprehensive after a whole minute passed and Hinata hadn't blinked even once. He quirked an eyebrow and asked in concern, "Are you alright, Hinata? Is something wrong? You're kind of freaking me out..."
Hinata reacted. A thin smile grew on her face that still harbored mean looking eyes.
It was unsettling to say the least.
She replied in a tone entirely unfamiliar to him, "Something is wrong, Baki. Something's very, very wrong."
His heart skipped a beat. He smiled unsurely, "That sounds pretty ominous. Can I help somehow?"
The lithe girl twirled her pixie cut hair with an air of whimsical intent, and hummed, "Oh, it's just you. You are very wrong, Baki. So very wrong~"
Baki resisted the urge to back away as she continued in a sing song like voice, "Everything about you is different. From the way you act, to the way you speak. Can you tell me, what happened that turned you into a completely different person? I have been wracking my brain for weeks, but I can't for the LIFE of me figure it out!"
Uh-oh. This little goofball was the one who figured out he wasn't the real Baki?
Thinking quickly, Baki took the only path he believed his way out of the hole he had dug himself into.
Gaslight the psycho.
Frowning deeply and adding a little hurt to his voice, he questioned back, "You've been ignoring me for two weeks and that's all you have to say? What kind of shit is that?" Hinata's crazed anger dimmed a bit at his response, looking caught off guard. Baki continued with a little more bite in his words, "I've tried talking to you, like a million times, but all you've done is ignore me without explaining anything! What did I do, Hinata?"
The Hyūga heiress seemingly reignited her previous anger at the end of his question and spat back harshly, "You've changed!"
She stepped up to him and thrust a finger in his chest, "Losing weight, picking fights, swaggering around with all of this confidence out of nowhere - It's like you're a completely different person! What happened to you - the old you?! The boy who couldn't do anything without me holding his hand! The person who was so incompetent and useless, he doubted every little thing he ever did!" She barely took a breath and ranted, "I left you alone for two weeks, not saying a WORD to you, ignoring you completely! Before, you would've cracked in under an hour and came crawling back to me, apologizing like a dog! But do you know what you did?! You went on like it didn't even matter - LIKE I DON'T MATTER!"
The blonde kept his lips sealed as she screamed in his face; this was working far better than he expected. Keep acting crazy, you little she-devil.
Hinata was on her toes as she barred her teeth at him, "Now you're even talking to other girls like that hussy Ino - INO of all people! You've never had any friends other than me, never bothered to talk to anyone but ME!" A little bit of spittle landed on his cheek as she put the proverbial dagger to his chest, " You would have never done that before! As long as I was there to shield you from everything, you never even thought to look anywhere else! I'm staring at you right now, but I don't even recognize you anymore!"
Baki stared at her silently as she lost steam, her cheeks flushed, and breath labored from all the yelling. Due to their close proximity, he didn't have to speak much louder than a whisper. He repeated softly, "You don't recognize me anymore; I've changed?" He pulled away from her slightly, creating a small amount of distance, as he muttered, "You know, of all people, I never expected you would be the one who wanted me to stay stagnant. I've finally started improving myself and you're disgusted with me. That's just...ironic."
Hinata's eyes widened a bit as his words hit home. Baki took another step back and looked away, murmuring in the emptiest way he could, "I thought you'd be happy, like I would be for you." He turned and made motion to walk away, his head hung low, "I guess I'm an idiot."
His gaslighting might have worked too well, because he only made it a few paces before the girl grabbed the back of his shirt and broke out in angry tears, "WHY DON'T YOU NEED ME ANYMORE!?" She hiccupped with a contorted face, "I feel like you're leaving me behind and all I can do is watch! Why are you- why is everything changing so fast?!"
Baki froze in his tracks, feeling an uncomfortable sensation creeping up his chest. He had a real soft spot when it came to making girls cry and Hinata was slamming that weakness like she was playing a game of whack-a-mole.
Mentally lashing himself for his lack of conviction, Baki couldn't play the victim to save his life. He turned back towards her and asked softly, "Why didn't you just say something? Despite all that crazy shit you just said, I'd never do anything to hurt you, Hinata. You should know that."
The girl wiped her eyes roughly and sniffled pitifully, "I don't know, I don't like feeling this way! Don't make me explain it, Baki!"
Suppressing the urge to grimace over his bleeding heart, he wrapped the girl in a loose hug. He mumbled in defeat, "I won't. Please, stop crying."
That earned him a palm strike to the chest which he begrudgingly took. Angry is better than sad in his books. She returned the hug after hitting him and buried her face deep into his shirt. He gave her a few awkward pats on the back, unsure how to ease the situation back to normalcy. After a bit of brainstorming, he threw caution to the wind and asked coyly, "Do you want to go break Sasuke's nose again? It'll make you feel better. I'll even hold him down while you do it."
Another Juken crashed into his stomach, but he heard the unmistakable giggle that came behind it. Baki allowed an exasperated smile back onto his face as he stared at the light snowfall around him.
His earlier thoughts and Ino's summarization were indeed correct: Hinata was crazy.
End of Chapter