Hinata sensei

Her appearance is not her priority, but considering that, she's kenichi, her pride won't allow her to not look her best. After all, everything is a weapon, including her body, which disgusts her that she must see her body in that way or see it in that way; but it's the truth: her body is a weapon, just like any other, and making sure to take care of her appearance is like sharpening a blade on a katana or a shuriken. Her appearance is useful to catch men off guard and get them to talk; she doesn't like it, but she's not going to not use it, whatever tools she has at her disposal; they have helped her on many of her missions.

She was once offered a position in the Abu because of her looks and how useful it would be, and how good she would be at the job. She could have accepted, but she had no desire for that kind of life.

Work assignments in the Abu Black Ops can be anywhere from months to years, and she has no desire for it. Not to mention the mental toll it takes on the individual; most don't serve in the Abu for more than five years. The kinds of things required by those who are part of that occupation change them fundamentally to their core.

Not to mention, she has no desire to lose herself; she wants to become Hokage, and she doesn't want to lose her humanity in the process. Because that's the danger of being a part of the Abu. The standard for the Abu isn't nearly as bad as Root, which shouldn't exist as an organization, but it does if she were Hokage. She would have forced the organization to disband permanently, either officially or not.

She was thinking too much as the water continued to drop on her body. As she rubbed the soap she usually used, she thought about everything that had happened. Her promise to Kushina, that she had made when she was almost 6 years old, about a week before Naruto's birth, was something she took very seriously. She was determined to keep that promise. Some would criticize her for holding on to a promise of a little girl she has no obligation to keep.

Kushina inspired her to become a great kenichi, and she almost became the fourth Hokage. Had it not been for the bias against her by the civilian council, she would have been the fourth Hokage. She was so furious when she was a child; she was only four years old and she recalls the memory vividly. It was one of the few times the shy and timid girl who she was ever got angry openly. Minato, her husband, was chosen instead. He was a great Hokage for the time that he was. When she felt like Kushina was robbed of something that was hers by right, that she had worked hard for.

She cried when she thought about her and Minato, who were important people to her. Her mother was a great friend of theirs, as was the man she refuse to call father.

After she was done rubbing the soap on her body and washing it off, she went to the shampoo that she uses and rubbed it through every inch of her scalp. She was determined to have her hair clean. Impressions were everything after all. After a few minutes of ensuring that every ounce of her scalp was covered, she washed it off and then used conditioner for her hair. She had lavender conditioner in order to make her hair look and smell nice.

She would be called a hypocrite for chastising Sakura, but there was a difference between focusing solely on your appearance and taking care of your appearance. She hopes to instill that difference to Sakura in time. All Kenichi cares about their appearance to one degree or another, considering how useful their bodies can be in interrogation and getting what they want from men who have viable information. It is especially useful for deceiving enemies by getting them to lower their guard. She hopes to instill those lessons into Sakura. She has the potential to be a great ninja, but for her potential to be completely brought out, she would have to get over her infatuation with Sasuke.

When she was thoroughly done putting the conditioner on her scalp, she slowly and carefully rinsed it out. The last thing she wanted was for there to be any conditioner left when it dried. It would be problematic and attract attention she didn't need. Once she was satisfied, she turned off the water and dried herself.

She went into her closet and got out her clothes that she would be wearing for the day. Though the main difference was she was going to go to her preferred attire the only difference is she would wear her vest over it. her preferred attire is a form-fitting light lavender, sleeveless kimono-style blouse with vertical lines, tied with a dark purple obi around her waist and short dark navy shorts. She also wore thigh-high stockings with black, open-toed made sure to put her vest over her upper body she looked at herself in the mirror perfect.

The outfit she wore yesterday she looked at it it was what she wore as a Chunin but because of her recent promotion she wanted her attire to reflect that. (though she was clueless of how Naruto reacted to her appearance regardless if she thought it made her look like a teenage girl.)

"That's more like it this makes me look like a mature woman unlike before."Hinata said proud of the outfit of her choice what made it even better was it covered that mark on her neck that she didn't want anybody to see. After she was done she went to where she kept her ninja tools and double checked if she had that she was required to have. When she was satisfied that she had what was needed she made herself breakfast it was nothing special it was just pancakes.

After she was done she made sure to make lunch for herself she stored it in a scroll the wonders of summoning jutsus. After she was done she headed out would be there before Naruto but that wouldn't be so bad she always did her training exercises early in the morning and late at night in order to keep herself in shape and maintain her discipline.

She got to the training grounds she went to her usual training routine it wasn't like the one she did a few days ago her preferred training exercise but it would be sufficient. she would train for the next hour and when she was done she sat down cross-legged and sat and meditation and waited for her student to arrive.

Naruto made sure to go to bed early in order to arrive at the training grounds on time, where he will receive the extra training that Hinata promised him. He wants to prove to his new sensei that he is worth her time; he can't deny that he is infatuated with her. He looks at himself in the mirror; he feels so lame, but he can't get any other clothes because of how the villagers treat him and deny him access to any of the shops. So, he has to make do with what he has.

He didn't know why he just didn't want to be seen as a child, so he wanted Hinata to take him seriously. He didn't want her to see him as a boy; he wanted her to see him as a man worthy of her respect and time. He made sure to get everything he needed. He double-checked all the essentials in his pouch, along with his tools (which were required for all ninja to possess). He wasn't required to have shuriken, but he had them anyway.

He couldn't believe his stroke of luck in the past few days. Not only had he become a Shinobi, but he also had Hinata Hyuga as a sensei. He never thought he would even have a chance to have someone like her as a sensei. Or for her to give him the time of day.

Until this point, the adults had treated him as a pest, someone not worth acknowledging his existence.

He can only count on one hand the amount of people who treated him as human: Iruka, Teuchi, and Ayame, along with the elderly Hokage. Hinata was the only other person who had ever done that. Hearing her say that she believed in him, that he had talent more than anyone had ever said, everyone else that he would never accomplish anything, and that he would forever be a loser. He didn't know what this feeling was; it was nothing like his crush on Sakura. It was something different entirely. He put that thought aside. He couldn't focus on that right now. He had to get to the training grounds. He couldn't afford to be late. He had to make Hinata believe that he was worth her time.

After he was done double-checking that he had everything, he left and was really looking forward to Hinata's private lessons.

20 minutes later, Naruto arrived at the training grounds. He saw Hinata in a different outfit than what she wore the previous day and it was hard to believe, but she looked even more beautiful than she did in the previous outfit she was wearing. It was difficult for him to actually comprehend. He couldn't help admiring her, then he stopped himself. He didn't want her to think that he was some horny fanboy.

Many boys had a crush on her, which was no secret; men lusted after her, but the idea of anyone looking at her but him made him filled with rage and jealousy. "Stop it!" he said himself. He took a deep breath and spoke, wanting to bury his nervousness of being alone with this beautiful woman. "I'm here, Sensei," Naruto said shyly, not realizing how meek it sounded. The woman opened her eyes and smiled, but then he noticed something about that smile: it wasn't genuine. Now that he thinks about it, neither was the first time they met. This woman was reluctant to smile, but why? It felt artificial now that Naruto thought about it.

He did not have time to indulge in his thoughts before Hinata spoke: "I am pleased that you came early. For the next hour, I'm going to evaluate what your skills are and where they're at so I know what skills need to be worked on and how we can proceed. Let's show me everything that you can do first. Let's start with the basics, but first, I want you to create a shadow clone."

Creating a shadow clone was a basic skill that was required for most Shinobi, with exceptions for those who didn't have the ability to do ninjutsu. Most Shinobi were required to at least be able to create two shadow clothes. This would be easy. When he was done creating a shadow clone, he couldn't tell what Hinata was thinking.

"I want you to create as many shadow clone's as possible and I want them to do the exact same thing that we were doing not too long ago." Naruto created hundreds of shadow clones. His sensei looked at them and she created twenty shadow clothes of her own. "What do you want us to do, boss?" asked one of her shadow clones. "Training exercises with your shadow clones. The exact same thing I'm doing with him." She ordered, but there was a hesitation in her clones. They started training with his what was the point in this? He would ask later.

"Let's start with the basics, Naruto. Show me your skills with Taijutsu."

He started using his taijutsu, she blocking everything he threw at her, dodging in a fluid motion. If this were any other situation, he could have admired her gracefully and elegantly. But he couldn't admire her now; he didn't want her to think he was a pervert. She went on the offensive, Naruto unable to keep up. She was much faster and stronger than him. He tried to block everything, but he couldn't. He knew she was holding back, but even with her holding back, he couldn't keep up. He felt so pathetic. He was glad he wasn't in the judgmental eyes of his peers back at the academy. They would think of him as a pathetic wretch.

The object of his desire he doesn't his sensei doesn't want him to do, so he doesn't want her to acknowledge him. He knows this is just a basic exercise, but he still feels inadequate and weak. Why can't he be better? He's frustrated and angry, but he keeps his feelings to himself. Of course, he doesn't want Hinata to think he's angry with her.

She ordered him to stop so that he could move on to the next exercise.

"Show me your skills now at using a kunai!"

He did exactly as she asked, taking her own and they fought.

He was amazed by her speed; she was so much faster, and he couldn't keep up.

He did a lot better than he did with Taijutsu, but that wasn't saying much since he was made more and more aware of just how abysmal his skills were. It was amazing that he was even a Genin.

The exercise continued, so she told him to practice throwing kunai. He did, and he did well. Actually, she didn't show any expression on her face.

"Now show me your skills with the shuriken." Like you did for the kunai, I want you to show me your skills with the shuriken.

He did exactly as she instructed and threw the shuriken as best he could. Most of them hit the bullseye. He didn't know what she was thinking. What was the point in this?

When she ripped into his mediocre skills the previous day, he couldn't help but realize she was right: some of the basic skills he's expected to know make him feel like a complete amateur. She signaled him to stop. It felt like she gave up; she realized just how much of a disappointment he is and he's a waste of time, but she didn't let him indulge in those thoughts. She spoke.

"I've seen enough." she said with a neutral tone, he gulped so this was it then, she was going to judge him as not worth her time, but before his thoughts could progress any further, she continued. "You weren't taught the basic skills of self-defense and how to properly operate as a ninja. This isn't your fault; I don't know what nonsense you had to deal with in the Academy. The biases you experienced, the opportunities that were taken from you to learn skills, Most Shinobi take for granted. I told you I would teach you properly, and I mean that. I had to evaluate your skills, so I know where to begin. My shadow clones are teaching yours the same lessons I'm about to teach you." She explained patiently. Naruto wondered what reason did she have for him to create Shadow Clones at the start of their private training exercise.

"Do you know every time your shadow clone dissipates, you gain that information from that clone?" Hinata asked him. "Wait what?" Naruto asked, dumbfounded, but what he felt like should have been common knowledge. The fact that he had never heard of this before. Hinata continued" Genin shouldn't be able to use techniques as advanced as this one. Your confusion is understandable; not many ninja know this, and the kind of shadow clones you use is a very advanced technique that genin shouldn't even be able to use at all. The reason why this knowledge isn't widely known is how dangerous it is, and how many potential users would kill themselves because they would be impatient about wanting to get stronger faster."

It made sense to Naruto. He probably would have been tempted to use this technique if he had known about it earlier. He can create thousands of shadow clones, and he'd be so easy to defeat. He'd be able to make progress quickly by using this method, but before he could indulge in that thought, Hinata shut down what he was thinking immediately.

"I know what you're thinking, Naruto. You shouldn't do it. It's dangerous. Yes, you are capable of utilizing this technique better than most of the village because of your large chakra reserves, but you should be careful."

As if to demonstrate her point, all of Naruto's clones dissipated, making him feel disoriented.

"You see the drawbacks of this technique; you already know this: that you get the information from the clone. Well, if you gain too much information at once, it will overload your brain. That's why it's better that you train with fewer Shadow Clones at least at the beginning so you don't overwhelm yourself. Do not be impatient, Naruto! It's not worth dying just to catch up to Sasuke and Sakura quickly. you will catch up with them in time, but not if you recklessly use this technique that you have at your disposal. It's a great tool, but it's dangerous. Potentially, if you don't use it properly."

She was explaining to him patiently what he did to deserve someone like her. This was the first day, but he learned more than he had through most of his time at the academy. He felt angry that they didn't teach him anything."Your basic techniques, though what I've evaluated from them, they're mediocre. Sorry to be so harsh, but it's the truth: you're not bad at taijutsu. I'm actually amazed at how good you are, considering you weren't taught most of your skills. They must have been self-taught, or else I wouldn't be so impressed." She asked him.

Naruto barely spoke the whole time, answering.

"I trained relentlessly to try to refine my skills and hand-to-hand combat. I couldn't stand losing to Sasuke all the time or anyone else, so I trained almost nonstop until I could at least be able to properly defend myself. Because the village took advantage of me, I never mind; I think I've said too much."

Barter felt like he'd said too much about the village's treatment of him and how he had to learn proper taijutsu just to survive, even if it was self-taught. He couldn't tell from her expression what she was feeling when he revealed that information.

"Your skills in Taijutsu are not as bad as you think they are, Naruto. I know what you're thinking in your head. You've taught yourself for the most part, but the more advanced techniques that are required for Genin you haven't learned. You weren't taught them to properly defend yourself. You aren't taught the defensive aspects of Taijutsu and how to properly disarm your enemy or to counter any attacks they would throw at you."Naruto sat down, listening intently to her lessons.

"Your skills with a kunai and shuriken are really good, actually better than most of your age. Though I can use them just like everything else." He was blushing, one of the few things he wasn't awful. Maybe he thought too lowly of himself.

"There are other skills that are required, but I know you haven't been taught them, so that's why I ended the evaluation earlier than I originally intended. Naruto, I told you yesterday that I have no intention of having you go out on a mission until I am comfortable that you know these skills and you are adequate at them. With your shuttle clones, you will be able to catch up to Sakura and Sasuke quickly. There are other skills that you need to work on, like chakra control, but that's not nearly as essential as the basic skills that you are inadequate at."

It was difficult to tell by her tone what her feelings were: disappointment or pity? No pity is not something she would feel towards him; if she felt pity towards him, it would be insufferable. He Instruction

"I like to train you for more private lessons after I train the others."

"More private lessons?" Naruto would squeal at the thought of spending more time with her.

He put that thought aside; it's just training, nothing more. But he really liked her - something about her made it easy to be around her, even if she doesn't smile or laugh. Something drove him to her, and he didn't know why.

His thoughts about her ended as soon as Sasuke and Sakura showed up. Naruto went to his team, who were giving him a look he didn't like. It especially came from Sasuke and Sakura, but he ignored it for now. His priority was to be on his sensei's good side so she wouldn't feel like she's wasting her time with him.

"All right, team!" Hinata started to speak to everyone. "This is our first day as a team. We're going to start with exercises that will test our teamwork abilities." She started to explain the basics of formations and how to communicate non-verbally. It was a lot to take in. Naruto made sure to create Shadow Clones when they were on break in order to do the training that Hinata promised. It wasn't too many Shadow Clones; it was five. The other Shadow Clones listened intently to Hinata's lesson so Naruto would ingrain the lesson into his memory. He was determined not to hold his team back.

The next week was extremely difficult, the training was the hardest training he had ever had in his life. Despite his sensei's advice, Naruto still trained even after their training sessions. He had his shadow clones train, doing the same thing that Hinata taught him. He wasn't going to be a burden on anyone. He was careful about the amount of Shadow clones he created, though. He didn't do it while they were training because he knew it would create more Shadow clones than were recommended. He did that after training was over. When he spent the rest of his day relaxing, his shadow clones trained heavily, much to their annoyance.

The unfortunate thing for Naruto was that he didn't make as much progress as he wanted. He felt exhausted after each training session, because it felt like he didn't ever sleep. But he was determined to catch up by any means necessary. He had the means to do it; why not use his shadow clones to get stronger faster? Why wait years to catch up when he could do it much faster than that? This wouldn't go unnoticed by his sensei or his peers.

The intense training that he was doing wasn't unnoticed by Hinata who after a week decided she had to have a talk with him. She appreciated his effort to try to get stronger but she was worried about how he was going about it he was eager to please her she wasn't blind to it he wanted to prove to her that he was worth her time. She had to put a stop to Naruto's reckless training regimen before it did something that would do irreversible damage.

Naruto looked exhausted. Naruto looked at her and smiled, it was a fake smile; she knew, but he was trying to save face. He was exhausted from all that training.

"Naruto, we need to talk about the training regimen that you're doing." Hinata said to him in a worried tone.

"What do you mean, Sensei?" Naruto said, playing dumb. Hinata took a deep breath, patience.

"Naruto, I know you want to get stronger quickly, but you're not going to get stronger if you're exhausted all the time in your training sessions. Naruto, you need to rest when you're not training. You shouldn't be training 24/7. There's only so much that you can do. Yes, you can use your clones to do what you can't do normally, but even then, your clones also feel what you feel. You're not going to get the results that you want that way."

Naruto knew that she was right.

"You barely made any progress this week because you're impatient. You're going to catch up to your teammates at the rate that you're going. If you wish to catch up to them, you're going to have to do it the right way. Rest when you're not training. It is an important part of being a Shinobi to rest. Know when to train and know when not to."

Hinata explained to him in a gentle tone.

"I didn't think you would care," Naruto admitted.

"Of course I care; you're my student, and I want you to succeed. Naruto, that's why we're doing these private lessons. I want you to be who I believe you can be. Naruto." Hinata explained to a boy who wasn't used to people caring about him. It baffled her why he was treated this way, but she held her thoughts aside. This wasn't about her feelings; it was about her student.

"I just don't want you to think you're wasting your time teaching me." Naruto admitted, embarrassed. So he wanted to impress her. She put her right hand on his shoulder and made him face her.

"Listen, things aren't the same as they are in the academy when you fail. I'm not going to chastise you for it. I'll tell you to try again and as many times as necessary until you succeed, Naruto. Failure is the end; you're a proud failure, Naruto. I can see that about you. Please. I'm asking you to take more care of yourself. You're exhausted today. I won't train you because you're tired. I ordered you, as your Sensei, to rest. We'll train tomorrow."

Naruto didn't look happy about that, but he wasn't going to argue with her. However, he looked at her and wanted to ask her a question.

"Why do you call me a proud failure?" he asked curiously.

"Because that's what I was. I didn't give up when I failed; it made me try harder. I guess I see part of myself when I was your age. I know what it's like when people look at you and don't think you're going to do anything or succeed at anything. You're not a failure, Naruto. A failure would give up before they've even started. You haven't. If you ask me, you are not a failure. This lesson that you're getting today is a lesson in patience. You'll get stronger. You'll catch up to your classmates. Believe in yourself. Rest when you're supposed to and train when you're supposed to. That's how you'll be able to catch up." She Contrived smiled.

He looked disappointed that she wasn't training him, but quickly changed his expression; he was trying to save face. "Okay, sensei. I won't train with you today. I'll rest for the day."

Naruto headed back home. Sakura and Sasuke would ask questions, wondering why Naruto wasn't going to train with them today. She would explain that he wasn't feeling well, but she wouldn't tell them because of over-exhaustion from training.

Sasuke would have to admit that Hinata was a good teacher, despite his dislike of her. He wasn't going to ignore what was obvious; she explained things quickly and concisely. She didn't waste time, rather than getting into long, boring lectures about how to do this skill or how this works. She showed it. It was refreshing in a way. He would have to admit that he was making more progress in a week than he had in most of his time at the Academy. It baffled him just how incompetent those teachers were. Iruka aside, they couldn't teach to save their lives. Even his sensei laughed when she recounted how incompetent they were when she was teaching them the basic formations, something they should have taught them at the Academy.

She wasn't wrong when she said their training would start again. It felt like he knew nothing, but the way she explained it, she did it patiently and didn't hesitate to help those who were struggling with lessons. He noticed Naruto struggled and suspected that Naruto and Hinata were having private lessons. It wasn't his business, and it didn't concern him. If the dope was going to get extra lessons from Hinata in order for him not to be a burden to her, then it was the same to him. He would rather Naruto be able to hold his own weight than be useless.

He couldn't help but notice that she was at him with abhorrence ; she didn't say anything, but he could feel that she was uncomfortable around him him. He didn't know why.

He had heard rumors that his brother was involved with a Hyuga. Could Hinata be that person? It didn't matter, though. If she was, it didn't matter to Saskia. Did she look at him with hatred even if she didn't show it? He wanted to confront her about it, but he felt like it'd be a waste of time. No, he had to do something.

Sensei was alone; she wasn't doing her private sessions on Naruto yet, Sasuke was never this early, but he had to confront Hinata about it. She was surprised to see him. "Sasuke, I didn't expect to see you so early." She said, surprised. "Yeah, well, I want to ask something. And I've noticed this: ever since you started teaching me, you look at me with apprehension and hatred, and I don't understand why. What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Sasuke was not usually this confrontational, but he had to know there's no way he was going to not get answers he was going to get answers otherwise.

"I don't know what you mean Sasuke."Hinata said avoiding the question."look since I don't know what your problem is with me but I want to know if if you're going to be my teacher I want to get this resolved I don't make it a secret I don't like you but I want honesty."Sasuke said on the verge of losing his patience. Hinata signed"I would rather not talk about it it's something personal."she said with her voice guarded. Sasuke could help with detect there was something painful in that tone. it couldn't be Sasuke didn't want to believe the rumors even before the massacre. he recalled a conversation that he overheard with Itachi and his father regarding his relationship with a Hyuga he thought it was just a baseless rumor at the time something by Hinata's his expression confirmed it wasn't.

Flashback: 6 years ago, one year before the Uchiha clan massacre.

Sasuke wasn't able to sleep; he got up and went to the bathroom, but he heard two people arguing. He knew he shouldn't have eavesdropped, but it was his big brother arguing with their father. He made sure not to be seen, so he listened to his father Fugaku and his brother argue.

"I don't want you to see her anymore." His father said, not leaving any room for argument. "Why, father? I'm doing exactly what you want! I'm spying for you. What harm does it do to the clan with my friendship with her?" He asked angrily. "That girl is a Hyuga, and she's pathetic and weak. She was disinherited by her own clan in favor of her more talented younger sister. You're wasting your time training her." His father argued in revulsion.

"Don't talk about her like that"Itachi said defensively."don't forget that you are my heir, I won't have you involved with a Hyuga, especially one as pathetic as her."Itachi was so angry that it scared Sasuke; he slammed his father against the wall and activated his Sharingan. Sasuke felt killing intent from his brother; he had never felt so terrified of him before. Then, as soon as the moment passed, he put his father down."I'm sorry, Father"Itachi said apologetically.

Sasuke decided to leave the room; he didn't want to eavesdrop anymore. He couldn't help but pick up on the fact that his brother was in love with a Hyuga girl and was very protective of her. He wanted to get answers, but unfortunately, he never did. His brother always avoided the question whenever he asked.

back to the present

What happened that night, he remembered the argument between Itachi and his father. The woman the way she looked at him, it started to click for Sasuke. He didn't need to ask her anymore; it was no secret that he had a strong resemblance to his older brother, so that could be the reason why they were in a relationship and it ended badly. Seeing him reminded her of that relationship. He didn't like her, but he wasn't asking any more questions. He got his answers just by her expression on her face. It said more than words would

Sasuke decided to drop it; the last thing he wanted to do was aggravate his sensei. If he did that, she'd be less willing to train him, and that's the last thing he could afford. He couldn't waste any time; his brother he had to kill. And he wouldn't be able to do that if he didn't get the training that was required.

"Sorry, let's drop it and focus on training." Sasuke apologized, his demeanor changing as soon as he said that. Something about this woman made him feel uncomfortable; she seemed hard to read. He had heard rumors that she was cold and detached and kept people at arm's length. What did his brother do to her? No, he wouldn't indulge in that thought. That didn't concern him. His training and getting stronger was what mattered. Not his sensei's past relationships. That wasn't relevant.

A few minutes later, Sakura showed up and she was confused as to why Naruto wasn't there. He had been "where" was he exactly?"

Naruto isn't feeling well today, so I let him go home and rest. It's important that all ninja remember this lesson: overtraining is never good for the body. In order to actually get stronger, you must know when to train and when not to."

Sasuke understood this, but Sakura was listening in. It was obvious to Sasuke that Naruto had overtrained using his shadow clones. Of course, he would use shadow clone's to try to catch up quickly. He smirked.

"That makes sense, but we're three-man cells; what are we going to do today if Naruto isn't here?"

Sakura asked Hinata.

"I'll train both of you in skills that you lack. Sakura, attack me as if you're going to kill me."

Stay wondered what she was getting at. Sakura did as she was told, despite her best efforts, she wasn't able to do much. Hinata took Sakura to a chokehold and then let her go.

"Sakura, you don't have the strength Naruto and Sasuke have. If you're going to fight, you have to think there's more than one way to fight than attacking an enemy head-on."

To prove her point, she showed alternative ways to attack. She showed her various different ways to approach a situation. This was obvious: Sasuke was annoyed, but then again, the people at the academy were incompetent and we're not qualified to teach none of them were worth a damn. (with the exception of Iruka.)

"Sensei, can I speak freely?" asked Sakura.

"Hinata nodded, and then Sakura began speaking."

Why weren't we taught this at the academy? These skills that you're showing us, that you've been teaching us for the past week, should be obvious. What the hell were we doing for all these years? What was the point of the Academy? What was the point of us doing all these pointless tests? I almost feel like the damn counsel expects Jonin pick up the slack instead of doing their damn jobs."

Sakura ranted; her grades were good, but she realized how useless they were in the real world. Sasuke understood how useless the Academy had been. It didn't teach them any useful skills. It's no wonder so many students were dropped from the program. The civilian Council is a joke. He thought.

"I understand you're frustration Sakura I share them but these skills are required otherwise there is no chance any of you to survive on any life or death missions. I understand you're contempt for the civilian council and it's incompetent teachers they appointed I share them I suffered fromthe same problem you have it's one of the reasons why I'm teaching you all step by step teaching you what they should have taught you years ago."Sakura listen to her patiently as Hinata continued. "They have a bias towards students that don't do as well academically as we all know academics isn't everything. students aren't tested based on actual ability for the most part oh there's so much I would tell you how much I hate about the current system that we would be here all day but there's no time. now Sakura let me show a way you can defend yourself against a opponent that's stronger than you."

Sasuke saw Hinata show her various techniques to disarm stronger opponents than the one they're fighting; he couldn't help but admire the way she was teaching. She gave constructive feedback but also didn't sugarcoat where someone's skills were or how they could improve. He was definitely satisfied that he had someone like her as his Sensei, rather than someone who would be completely inept in spite of her being a Hyuga.

After she was done, she went to Sasuke. He would tolerate these boring and tedious lessons for now, until the more advanced techniques are taught. He cursed those idiots at the Council for forcing him to go through this kind of training. He had already gone through it years ago.

It had been two weeks since Hinata gave him that harsh lesson about when to train and when not to. It was a difficult lesson for Naruto to swallow; he saw the results, however, when he took her advice, he got more done. He actually got stronger faster by resting. He wouldn't lie if it didn't take a toll on his pride, but he would never tell his sensei that. All he wanted to do was have her recognize him as a man and not a boy. Though it was futile, of course, getting her to acknowledge a 13-year-old shinobi as a man was asking for a laugh.

But there were other things she could see in his eyes: the sadness, and her smiles, every one of them, that she gave to him and his teammates. It was fake; it wasn't real. With such a beautiful face, it was difficult for him not to feel sad. What drove him to her? He couldn't explain it. It wasn't just a physical attraction. It was something else entirely.

She noticed he was spacing out. "Is something on your mind?" Hinata asked him as they tried something different during a training exercise near a lake. He didn't know what kind of training to expect from her, so the first time they did it, she told him it was a way to calm the mind. It worked; he practiced this training method with his clones, improving his chakra control immensely. He wasn't able to walk on water, but that wasn't the point of the exercise; the water was shallow. It was to train him to stay focused. She started to show him this method when he returned from his rest. When he wasn't allowed to train until he was completely better in mind and body, he wouldn't have been able to do it.

He recalls an embarrassing first lesson when she taught him this method to keep his body and spirit focused.

flashback two weeks ago

Naruto wondered why his Sensei was leading him to this spot, where he saw the water was shallow. It was near a lake; just what was it that Hinata was bringing him here for? He saw his sensei take off her jacket and remove part of her clothing. Naruto turned away, blushing furiously. When Hinata finished, she took a glance at what she was wearing: a one-piece bathing suit.

Part of him was disappointed and relieved that she didn't strip down to her undergarments, even though she didn't, he couldn't help but admire her body; it didn't completely cover everything. No, he couldn't let his imagination run wild, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He kicked himself; he didn't want his sensei to lose respect for him because he saw her as a piece of meat rather than a person.

Though he wouldn't lie he found her body extremely attractive.

"Naruto strip down"

Naruto blinked, "What?"

"don't make me repeat myself"

Hinata replied

He was embarrassed; he did as she instructed and he was down to nothing but his underwear.

"I'm going to show you an exercise that will help you concentrate. They'll calm down the body and mind. This was taught to me by my mother."

Said reluctantly, detecting the sadness in her tone when she mentioned her Naruto did not ask any questions, not wanting to see her sad.

"I can't walk on water, is the point of this exercise? How will this bring help me mentally and physically?" Naruto asked her.

"I'll show you"

Hinata went into the water and moved her body like a dancer. Her body moved in smooth motion. She moved with grace and elegance, it was like watching a dancer from a play.

Naruto could watch her all day and get lost in her movements. She is so beautiful.

Naruto thought. He let his imagination run wild of Hinata taking him by the hand and they danced like a couple in a fantasy story. At the end of it, Naruto leaned towards Hinata and.

Naruto stopped turning red and feeling embarrassed when his imagination ran wild again. He took a deep breath, not wanting Hinata to notice his blushing.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Hinata looked concerned, oblivious to the cause of Naruto's blushing.

"Oh, I'm fine. I... I" He couldn't say what he wanted to say; he felt like a stuttering fool. She made him feel like this.

No, he couldn't let her see him like this. He couldn't.

He put his thoughts aside and did exactly what she instructed. He was clumsy by comparison; he was nowhere near as elegant or graceful as she Hinata' in fact. It was clumsy. The woman was patient as Naruto. She copied everything that she did, but then she told him to stop.

"Naruto," she said kindly, "I don't expect you to copy everything I do. The point of the exercise is for you to relax and find your own way."

They continued with the exercise until it was time for them to head to the training grounds.

After that embarrassing episode, thankfully, his sensei didn't notice. He trained on his own when she wasn't instructing him. It was a useful training exercise to the spirit. It actually helped him concentrate better and had him make more progress. He felt like he was progressing at a faster rate. It was so stupid for him to do what he did in the first week; he made more progress in the two weeks since then. All his time then at the academy.

Having the shadow clone technique almost felt like having a cheat code; he was doing things that would be difficult, if not impossible, for most people. He was able to get training done in a matter of weeks, rather than months. The jutsu that he had learned, he managed to master quickly, but he doesn't use them because he hasn't had a situation where they were needed.

Like the wind style windexplosion, or , wind bullet, He wondered what Hinata was going to teach him this time. he is always eager for her lessons; she was so nice to him, even though she had never smiled once, she always treated him with kindness and respect. She never talked down to him or insulted him when he made a mistake. She was perfect to him in every way; it made him desire something else.

He couldn't explain these feelings he was having towards her; it was different than how he felt about Iruka and some of the other people who had treated him like a human being. It wasn't the same.

When he looks at her face, he wonders what her smile would look like if it were real and genuine, and what her laugh would sound like.

Naruto is determined to find out one day.

"You're doing a good job, Naruto. You have made a lot of progress in the past few weeks." said his sensei, pleased with the amount of progress he was making.

Naruto wiped his forehead with the towel that Hinata had provided for him. It was amazing how much progress he had made under such a short amount of time. His body was more lean and had more muscle thanks to the Shadow Clones' training regimen: they did everything he instructed them to do, they did all the heavy workouts every other day, while Naruto did his own training with Hinata.

It was amazing the amount of progress he was able to make under a short amount of time, but he knew he wasn't even close to his goal; he wouldn't be for quite a while. Sasuke struggled in their sparring matches; it wasn't one-sided anymore. Sasuke actually had to put all of his effort in to not lose to Naruto.

His life changed so quickly that it was overwhelming. She handed him a bottle of water, and he drank it. "Ha! What a workout! Thank you for showing me this training regimen, Sensei. I made so much progress; I don't know if I could have done it without you."

Naruto said embarrassedly. "You've always been talented, Naruto. You just need a teacher to bring it out." She said kindly, when he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but see sadness and loneliness in them. It seemed like she was holding something back that she had built walls around herself. She had kept her team at arm's length, which bothered Naruto not because she did it to him but because he understood that loneliness. He didn't want her to feel lonely.

He doesn't have the courage to say anything. "We should get going, Naruto. We don't want to keep your teammates waiting." Hinata got up and put on her vest. Naruto was thinking deeply about what it would take to make her smile. What would it take to make her laugh? Naruto was determined to find out one day. He would know what a smiling and laughing Hinata looks like someday. He strongly believes it.

Hinata kept her distance from her teammates; she didn't want to get too close to anyone. She put her team at arm's length, which wasn't unnoticed by her peers, who were training their own students.

She had a day off, and that's what she usually wore. She didn't like standing out even more in the red-light district. She hated being there, but the restaurants were cheaper in the red-light district than in other parts of Konoha.

They were in a restaurant in the red light district, which Hinata couldn't help but be disgusted by the very idea. This is where her sensei, Kakashi, wanted to meet her along with her peers, Asuma and Kurenai. She didn't even know why Kurenai would want to be in a place like this; it disgusted her. She hated this place.

"Hinata, you need to smile more," Asuma said, trying to relieve the tension in the bar that they were at. She didn't want to drink; it was legal, technically, since she turned 18, but she never liked the taste of sake. Not to mention, she didn't want to get drunk. The last time she did was no different; she didn't want to think of that night. So she dropped it as soon as it entered her mind.

"I do smile I just don't like it here"she replied annoyed."I don't know what Naruto sees in you I mean seriously relax. This place is cheaper than the rest of the village not to mention it's one way to give the finger to your clan who takes themselves way too seriously."remarked Kakashi"you should relax seriously Hinata you're going to get old before your time you'll have wrinkles before you turn 30 at this rate." Asuma said playfully."certainly team 7 can't be that bad." asked Kurenai."it has nothing to do with that it's just"she didn't want to be reminded tonight was the anniversary.

"You are pathetic and weak, Hinata, just like every other Hyuga; a weakling like you will never be Hokage. Trusting me was a mistake; I'll spare your pathetic life because you're not worth killing." said Itachi 5 years ago when she confronted him; when she was chasing him; when he was fleeing Konoha; she had almost lost her life that night; she remembers that night vividly; she doesn't want to believe it; she won't think of him. She takes the bottle of sake and gulps the entire bottle at once; shocking everyone in her group. "Damn! You should be careful with that; it's strong stuff." remarked Kakashi.

"I know this isn't the happiest day for you, and we didn't want you stuck in your apartment drowning yourself in memories of that awful night." said Kurenai, understanding what had happened, but they couldn't have understood that night. Her trust in people, her ability to believe in others, was destroyed along with her heart being ripped out of her chest and crushed like it was nothing. Since then, she has no desire to get close to anyone. They would never listen to her; they would tell her to open up again, but she has no desire to.

Naruto Usamaki keeping her promise to her mother figure, which was the only thing that kept her going, and becoming the Hokage was all that mattered; there was nothing else.

"Hinata, you need to open up. I know what happened is painful, but you can't be fixated on the past; you have to move on." said Kakashi. Worried about her well-being, she asked the bartender to give her another bottle of sake and she gulped it down just like the first one. "I think you've had enough, Hinata." said Kurenai, who was worried about her drinking.

"I'm fine"

Her speech was slurred due to her being under the influence.

"I'll take her home, Asuma." Kurenai said to her boyfriend.

"I hope you don't forget our date tomorrow." he said to her with a smile.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kurenai said, smiling as she took Hinata by the hand and they left the bar.

With Kakashi and Asuma

After Hinata and Kurenai left, Kakashi said to Asuma, "That certainly could have gone better."said Kakashi disappointed on how things turned out.

Asuma took a sip of his bottle of sake; it was nice and hot, just like he likes it. But the flavor was soured by the atmosphere.

"5 years later, and damn, she's not the same person anymore." Asuma said, sadly over what had happened to the woman he saw as a little sister. Him and his girlfriend always had a strong bond with her; they were like sisters when she left her clan years ago, reasons he doesn't know. She lived with her girlfriend.

Then there was the time when she smiled and laughed; it was the happiest I had ever seen her. Until that awful night, he remembers it vividly. The girl who was so sweet and kind, whose smile could melt anyone's heart, that wasn't a malicious person, became cold and detached. It was hard to even fathom that she was even the same person. He had known Hinata since she was a little girl. He had seen her grow up. Her upbringing was harsh, but prior to that night, Itachi Uchiha was the only bright spot. If he ever had a chance, he would kill him for breaking the heart of such a sweet girl.

"Hinata has closed herself off completely I know what it's like it's a coping mechanism used to deal with trauma. I understand Hinata well I've been through it myself. I understand her better than anyone"Kakashi said speaking from experience of the trauma that he had been through with the death of his Sensei along with the horrific things he had seen in the war. Everyone dealt with trauma in different ways and Hinata dealt with it by cutting herself from others and being detached from others and being cold. he had not seen her smile genuinely in 5 years or laugh or even cry. she had kept her emotions bottled up he was worried about her.

Then her hatred for her clan is another thing that concerned him she could be another Itachi if enough time passes and that's terrified him more than anything. he's always had suspicions about Root being involved in the Uchiha clan massacre but he cannot prove it. He cannot confront the Kakashi about it cuz he cannot talk about it due to him not wanting to talk about his time in Root.

"We will have to see what Naruto will do for her. I mean, Hokage-sama has a good reason. I suppose having Hinata instead of me as the sensei of Team 7."

Kakashi said with some optimism. Asuma.

I don't know. I mean, what? I've heard the way she treats Sasuke Uchiha; she doesn't say it out loud, but she shows her contempt for him every chance she gets. It's not Sasuke's fault that Itachi is his brother. He rarely even mentions the former prodigy of the Uchiha clan; it's not something that can be discussed openly, especially with Hinata.

"None of us can know for sure what their relationship was, but whatever happened changed her at her core. Every smile that she has ever given anyone in the past five years has been fake; she hasn't given a real smile to anyone since. Unless someone is very observant or not blind, they wouldn't notice the difference. Kakashi remarked."

"What's the likelihood of history repeating itself?" Asuma asked, taking a cigarette out of his pouch and lighting it. "You mean Naruto and Hinata becoming an item? Isn't that a little premature?" Kakashi said. "That's what they said about Minato and Kushina. Yeah, look what happened." Asuma smiled, remembering the uproar when Minato asked Kushina to marry him.

"Do you want to make a bet if they will become an item?" asked Asuma "Get real, this is hardly the same situation between Naruto and Hinata and Minato-sensei and Kushina-sensei; it is completely different."

Kakashi replied .

"Really? As far as I remember, Kushina hated her red hair; it wasn't until Minato called it beautiful that she started to love it and started to fall in love with him. What an interesting relationship that was! Are you sure you want to disregard a chance to make easy money? If I turn out to be wrong, aren't you?" Asuma asked with a mischievous grin.

"Fine, but you better be prepared to pay up. How much do you want to bet?" he asked him mildly. "Are you sure? This could empty your bank account." Asuma joked. Kakashi signed, "As long as it's reasonable, I'm willing to bet." He had a feeling Kakashi would regret this later.

"300,000 Ryo" Asuma said in a mischievous tone because Kakashi sweetl dropped.

"That's insane! I would literally have to do two to three A-rank missions, but then again, so would you. I'll do it, but you're going to regret it." Kakashi smiled on one of his rare occasions.

"I'll hold you to that," Asuma said as he finished smoking the cigarette he was holding.

He was hoping his girlfriend could at least give some comfort to Hinata, even if it's just words.

"I hope you can bring back the kind and gentle Hinata that we all knew Naruto Uzumaki."

He didn't know why, but he had a strong feeling that Naruto would be the key to bringing Hinata back to the woman/girl she once was and restoring her faith maybe though that was wishful thinking Naruto could do for Hinata that Kushina once did for Minato.

with Hinata and Kurenai

Kurenai was escorting Hinata back to her apartment, they said nothing; she had no idea what to say. She knew how hard this day was for Hinata: the day that Itachi betrayed the village, the day he broke her heart into thousands of pieces. This woman's smile used to melt almost anyone's heart by seeing it it was like being in the presence of the sun itself. But in five years since, every smile that she's seen that comes from her face has been fake. She was colder and more ruthless on missions than she was before; it made her sad.

She wishes she could just make the sorrow go away so she could forget that night. Itachi was once a part of her life, but that isn't possible because every memory with him is tainted. She understands this and to top it all off, he was there for her when Hinata's own father said the most horrible thing any father could say to their child.

She couldn't even imagine the words she heard from her own father. It was unimaginable, and the person who comforted her was there for her when she needed it. The man who ultimately betrayed her and broke her heart. She hated Itachi for what he did. Things were silent as she opened the door to her apartment. She helped carry Hinata to her couch and helped her sit down. She was going to leave before Hinata spoke softly.

"I'm sorry, Kurenai-san. I didn't mean to ruin your fun time with your boyfriend or Kakashi." She said with a tone of sadness. "It's okay, Hinata. I understand completely." It still doesn't make it right." Hinata replied, looking up. "Is there anything I can do for you?" she asked the younger woman. "I can't cry, no matter how hard I try. I can't laugh nor can I smile. I know what everyone says about me. I'm cold, heartless. I'm probably the ideal daughter-" She was interrupted by Kurenai, not letting her finish.

"You don't need to do anything for that bastard's approval, Hinata. You don't have to be anything that you don't want to be. You know that, right?" She asked the woman who had become a little sister to her. "What good is being kind and gentle where is that ever gotten me?" She asked, her voice on the verge of raising. She recoiled from the bitterness in Hinata's tone. She would give anything to make her smile again, to restore her faith; she feels completely helpless.

"I should go Hinata. I don't want you to be late for your lesson tomorrow with your team." She left, and  she noticed the apartment. She almost wanted to cry herself. The woman standing before her is a shell of who Hinata once was. She once believed in people, but now she's a bitter and angry woman. She has lost faith in people and has lost the ability to also love others. She would give anything for Hinata to smile and laugh again if there's anyone that was willing to make that happen she would support them 100%.