"Alright! Good job back there!" Kiba yelled "Awesome job as always!"
"Hey, Hinata" Shino called out, Hinata looked up at him and asked "Yes?"
"You slowed down as you were delivering the final blow" He pointed out "Why?"
Hinata smiled shyly and pointed at the sleeve of her jacket "My jacket. The sleeve gave out and ripped"
"Wait, isn't that what happened to your last mission gear too?" Kiba asked, she nodded and said "Yeah... But I think I'm just gonna see this fixed"
Akamaru barked, his owner nodded and said "Akamaru's right! Hinata, it's time for a confession!"
"A-A what?!" The Hyūga gasped, her face turning red, "I-I-I can't! H-He w-won't! M-My heart!"
"What? No! Not that kind of confession!" The Ninken trainer barked, the tallest of the three then said "Kiba and I have been seeing your performance. You are fast, flexible, and strong, but your mission gears always limit your movements. Why? You can't bend as freely and move as fast while your sleeves are being caught by your skin and or ripped by constant movement"
Hinata looked down, stopping them on their tracks, Kiba then said "Look, if you're shy, it's okay, but think about it, moving faster and more free, nothing limiting your movements"
"It's..." She started, barely above a whisper, "It's not that..."
"Then what?" He asked, she frowned and looked at them "W-Well- you two wear jackets, too. I don't see you two complaining"
"I'm a Kikaichu user, I need my jacket to hide my bugs" Shino said, Kiba then jabbed his finger to his chest "I'm a Ninken master! I need my jacket so that Akamaru could easily sniff me out!"
She pouted, Shino placed a hand on her shoulder and said "Both of us, we rely on our specialties, I to my bugs, and he to Akamaru. You, you rely on your specialty too, not only the Byakugan, but also your Taijutsu, the Gentle Fist Art. Tell us, Hinata, why?"
She looked at the ground with quivering lips, her hands crossed and gripped both sleeves of her jacket, looking vulnerable, "I-I'm... I'm scared..."
Both Kiba and Shino felt their heart break at her voice, she sniffed as tears threaten to fall from her eyes "I-I'm petty, and s-selfish, a-and weird..! M-Most of all, I'm a-a coward!"
Her grip around herself tightened and said "I-It's a dangerous world, it's frightening. I-I'm still scared of what might happen, e-every day of my life, every second, I could die. E-Every year, I have a handful of m-murder attempts on me. I-In the village, in the compound, e-even in my room. T-They want my Byakugan, a-and for what they know, I'm the easiest target, a-and I'm glad they do"
Hinata recalled how she saw Hanabi move no where as fast as she was her age, or control her chakra messily, she then continued "M-My mom gave me constant comfort, sh-she hugged me and whispered s-sweet nothings, u-until she disappeared f-from my life. S-Sometimes, I-I think, 'What if I can't?', s-she'd always hug me and say I can. I just wanted t-to be reminded..."
Kiba's hand balled into a fist, Shino stood stuff in his position, a single tear ran down her cheek as she continued "I continued to fear e-every second of my life. A-And the way my jacket constantly hides me, gives me warmth, gives me comfort... I-It's the closest thing I could get from a hug... I-It's all that I wanted..."
She bit her lip and looked up at them "I-I know I'm specialized to Taijutsu, a-and I know what I'm wearing doesn't suit my movements, b-but-"
She gasped, a sudden pair of arms wrapped around her, Kiba hugged her tightly and said "You don't have to be afraid"
Shino walked closer and hugged her, too, saying "We are here. We can give you the assurance, maybe not as often as your mom or your jacket, but we will. We believe in you. I won't say that we will keep you from harm, I won't say we'll always protect you, because you don't need us to be strong, you always protect yourself, you're stronger than you think, and we know you are stronger than what we see you are"
She felt her heart fly, their words, it made her feel like- "I-I'm sorry, I'm just- Not thinking straight all my life until now, I'm s-stupid"
"Don't say that" Kiba said "You're like, the smartest girl I know"
"Me too" Shino said, she giggled and gave in to their hugs, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Th-Thank you, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun... I'm not afraid anymore..."
- - - - -
Months later, Hinata became more sure of her self, and Kiba, Shino, and Akamaru were more positive and supportive for each other, until they all turned eighteen:
Hinata grew out of her jacket, and Team 8 all agreed on a gear change.
At the Hyūga compound, Kiba flexed outside Hinata's room and said "Yeah! I can feel it! This new gear makes me feel more like a man than before! Yeaaaaah! I bet I'll finally have sweet facial hair by the end of the year!"
"Kiba, keep your voice down. Why? B-" Shino was cut off by Akamaru yawning, he sighed "Nevermind..."
They both stopped as they heard her door open, Hinata smiled brightly and asked "How do I look?"
They both smiled, Kiba held a thumbs up and said "A force to be reckoned with!"
"Very well, then" Shino said "Let's take it to the Training Grounds, give us all you've got"
"I'm not holding back!" Hinata said confidently before jogging out with them.