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[aninjaandhisdog.livejournal.com]

When; January 12th, just before noon
Rating; PG
Characters; Kiba Inuzuka & Akamaru aninjaandhisdog and Hinata Hyuuga hyuuga_hime
Summary; The two members of Team 8 decide to train with one another for old times sake.
Log; Just like he had with Naruto before, Kiba waited in the forest, this time to train with Hinata. He had asked her the other day, figuring that it had been a while since they trained together; even back in Konoha, he hadn't trained with her for a while, opting instead for solo training to master nature manipulation. His training attire was fairly basic, though he did bring a few things in a pack, just in case he needed them. As he petted Akamaru, he couldn't help but feel anxious, wondering how much stronger Hinata had gotten while in the city.

There was a slight flash of movement and Hinata dropped to the ground a few feet away, clad in a simple outfit of track pants and a shirt, short indigo hair tucked back behind her ears. She stood up and nodded, bringing her hands together to clasp them in front of her. However, it wasn't like her usual mannerism of touching her fingers together. Something was different about her. She seemed more confident, less unsure of herself then she had in the past.

"Kiba-kun. I'm sorry I was a little late."

Kiba was a little taken aback by Hinata's show of confidence, but dismissed it for the moment, simply happy to have her here.

"That's alright, Hinata. I'm just glad you agreed to train with me."

Akamaru barked in agreement, tail wagging happily at Hinata's arrival.

With a smile, she reached out to pet Akamaru on the head, hand scratching behind his furry ears.

"Of course, Kiba-kun. It's been so long, it seems. Since we've trained together. I thought it would be nice. Like old times. Right?"

Akamaru's tail wags a little harder as Kiba grins at Hinata.

"Yeah, like old times. But, to be honest, I also wanted you to train with me so I could master my nature manipulation. Thanks to Naruto, I think I know how to use mine and Akamaru's elements better, but I haven't had a chance to test them out just yet."

Hinata nodded, standing back up with a slight giggle.

"That's good. I haven't really had a chance to train mine much yet. I'm excited to see how much stronger you've gotten, Kiba-kun."

Kiba's grin grew a bit wider as he backed up a few steps, then moved into a fighting stance.

"Same here. In fact, since I need to practice using nature manipulation in the heat of battle as well, I think having a match would be an excellent way to start things off. Unless you have another idea, Hinata-san."

With a smile, Hinata also stepped back, moving fluidly into the familiar stance of the juuken. Familiar...yet different. Firmer, smoother, more polished. In fact, if Kiba thought about it, he might notice that her stance had taken on the flourish and edging of someone else's stance.

Seeing Hinata preparing for the match, Akamaru stood up, then leaped back, next to Kiba, ready for battle. Kiba, on the other hand, looked at the stance, a bit surprised.

"Ne, you've been training, haven't you? Has Neji been teaching you a few things while you've been here?"

"Perhaps, Kiba-kun. Why do you ask?"

Though her tone was innocent, the twinkle in her white eyes belied mirth and amusement at his startlement.

"Oh, uh, no reason."

Although he still held resentment towards Hinata loving Neji, he would've probably been the first to thank Neji for training Hinata and helping her to grow into a better ninja and a better person. Without realizing it, their conversation had caused him to drop his stance, which he quickly fixed.

"Alright, let's start!"

As was his style, Kiba made the first move, rushing in head-first, Akamaru by his side. Although most would find this reckless, Kiba's agility and evasiveness gave him an advantage in head-first attacks.

With a flash of hands into a seal, she tensed as he darted towards her.

"Byakugan".

With a spinning step, she dodged, coming around to aim an open-palmed strike at his side as he passed her. Kiba may have had the advantage in agility, but Hinata had the advantage in speed. Now, it was just a question of whether she could outmaneuver him enough to get in a good strike.

If Kiba were alone, it would be difficult to evade Hinata's juuken, especially now. Fortunately, Kiba wasn't alone. Reacting quickly, Akamaru spun around Kiba, grabbing Hinata's arm with his fangs before the hit could land. Kiba smiled a bit, though he still had to consider it a close call.

"Thanks, Akamaru."

Now, with Hinata held down, Kiba swung his clawed hand quickly, hoping to land a combo.

She frowned, trying to tug her arm from Akamaru's grasp.

Kiba grinned, slashing her once, then going in for another. At this time, Akamaru let go and allowed Kiba to do his work. Still grinning, Kiba claws Hinata swiftly exactly four times, calling out a different syllable each time.

"I-NU-ZU-KA!"

Once the fourth claw strike hit, Kiba did a back-flip, kicking Hinata hard in the process and sending her in the air.

"KIBA!"

Not missing a beat, Kiba landed from the flip on all fours, then leaped up to grab Hinata's sides firmly. "REN-"

As his hands gripped her sides, there was a puff of smoke and instead of Hinata, Kiba found himself holding a log.

Kiba looked at the log, shocked. He hadn't planned on her using the kawarimi so late into his move.

Reappearing beneath him, she narrowed her eye and jumped, spinning to aim a kick at the small of his back, gathering chakra in her hands to strike should he avoid the kick.

Once again, Kiba was lucky he wasn't alone. Akamaru, still on the ground when Hinata reappeared, barked loudly to snap Kiba out of his shock. Then, to help matters, Akamaru began to spin into a tsuuga, aimed directly at Hinata, while Kiba did all he could to avoid both the kick and the tsuuga.

With a muffled exclamation that might have been a curse, she slammed a chakra-infused palm into Kiba's back, using the force to push herself off and hopefully propel Kiba into the path of Akamaru's tsuuga. Landing on the ground, she skidded backwards, dropping into a slightly different stance.

Kiba opened his mouth in surprise and pain as her hit connects, pushing them apart. Akamaru, still in tsuuga mode, sensed the two splitting, then went after Hinata's familiar scent, turning around and falling to the ground directly on top of her. As Akamaru attacked Hinata, Kiba landed on the ground, then watched for a moment, unsure of what Hinata was going to do. If she truly had gotten training from Neji, he could almost tell he didn't want to join Akamaru in attacking Hinata just yet.

Pale eyes narrowed and her stance shifted yet again, into a very familiar one. Taking a deep breath, she bit her lip and waited until he was right on top of her. And then...

"Hakkeshou Kaiten!"

With a whirl of chakra, the familiar dome of the kaiten spun into being. However, unlike Neji's familiar blueish sphere, this one was white, and noticeably weaker. It lacked the crisp sharpness of the chakra, the evenness of the shape. But nonetheless, it was kaiten. And it served it's purpose of rebounding Akamaru's attack. As he went flying, the dome collapsed, leaving Hinata standing in the middle of the crater, panting. She didn't like using the attack, it was Neji's technique, not hers. But despite the fact that it was still difficult for her, still took a good deal of chakra and energy, it served it's purpose.

Kiba knew it, she had learned kaiten! Despite the fact that he had suspected it, seeing Hinata pull off such a move was impressive nonetheless. As Akamaru broke free of the tsuuga, falling to the ground a few feet away from him, Kiba smiled.

"You've certainly gotten a lot stronger, Hinata! I can't believe you learned how to use kaiten."

Walking up to Akamaru, Kiba's smile turned to a bit of a sneer.

"However, Akamaru and I have learned a lot of things, too."

Hopping onto Akamaru's back, Kiba began running through the hand signs for a very familiar attack.

"Katon Goukyaku no Jutsu!"

Akamaru opened his mouth wide, blasting out a massive fireball at Hinata. Using the fireball as a distraction, Kiba dove from Akamaru's back, straight into the ground.

"Neji-kun is a good teacher, Kiba-kun. But don't think that's the only thing that I've learned."

Panting, she drew herself up into her juuken stance again, waiting for his move. At the fireball, she cartwheeled to one side to avoid it, diverting chakra to her hands to keep her balance.

Practically as soon as she cartwheeled, Kiba caught her with his jutsu. His hands shot out of the ground, grabbing Hinata's arms tightly. However, instead of pulling her underground, he used this as a chance for Akamaru to try using Tsuuga on Hinata again. Holding onto her as tightly as he could, clawed hands slowly digging into her, Akamaru ran up, then quickly spun into the Tsuuga, aimed directly for Hinata's torso.

With the lightning-quick reflexes the Hyuuga were known for, she kicked her feet over in a back-bend, swiveling her hands to grasp Kiba's wrists and get out of the way of Akamaru's attack.

Both Kiba and Akamaru scowled inwardly as the attack missed. They really had to stop going easy on her. Still holding onto Hinata, Kiba practically leaped out from underground, lifting Hinata with him. With both of them still holding onto each other, Kiba leaned back quickly, pulling Hinata forward with all his strength, then, at the last second, kicked Hinata directly in the chest with both feet, forcing her to let go of him.

His kick sent her flying, and she hit the ground hard, bouncing across it to skid across the grass. Pushing herself up onto her hands and knees, she coughed, wiping blood from her mouth. One hand glowed with white chakra and she pressed it to her chest, healing the damage before it could become any more serious. Standing up, she panted, white eyes fixed on him.

"I guess...I can't go..easy on you, Kiba-kun."

"Same here, which is why I'm pulling out all the stops now!"

Kiba pulls out a pair of soldier pills, popping one in his mouth, and throwing the other one to Akamaru. As Akamaru's fur starts to change, Kiba clasps his hands together, gathering chakra for a moment, before,

"Doton Shikyaku no Jutsu!!"

As Kiba fell onto all fours from the usual nature of the technique, his arms and legs began to sink slightly into the ground, gathering the earth around him and attaching it to his body. The move was hardly complete; when it was finished, Kiba was only coated with a thin layer of earth across just over half his body. However, the jutsu was working, and Kiba wasn't done yet, as he jumped onto Akamaru.

"Katon Jujin Bunshin!!"

Just like before, the usual jutsu ran its course, turning Akamaru into a carbon copy of Kiba. However, just like Kiba, the half-completed jutsu covered Akamaru in a thin layer of flames over parts of his body. The flames didn't seem to burn him, and the earth coating Kiba had seemed to keep him from getting burnt as well. Grinning wider than ever, Kiba leaped from Akamaru's back, both of them spinning into a similar move, with an interesting twist.

"Gatsuuga Funka!!!"


"And I will as well, Kiba-kun."

She stood, stance similar to when she used her Shugohakke, arms out in front of her and palms facing him. Her palms began to glow with pale blue chakra that quickly shifted into white. With a snapping crackle, the chakra reconstituted itself into snowy white flames that began to intensify in brilliance, their form condensing down, becoming sharper, more concentrated.

"Shirohi no Ken!"

Pulling one arm back, she stood her ground and waited.

With Gatsuuga spinning faster than ever, Kiba could only hear the jutsu's name; he couldn't see it. However, instead of going straight in, the two began to cross paths endlessly, their respective elements mixing with one another. Fire and earth changed into magma, and once the transition was complete, Kiba attacked from the ground while Akamaru once again attacked from the sky.

Gritting her teeth, she darted forward, palms hitting the ground to swivel her body around, the white blades cutting perfect circles into the ground where her hands rotated. Spinning around again, she pushed off of the grass, taking a deep breath and drawing her hands in.

"Hakkeshou Kaiten: Hi no Arashi!"

It was kaiten. But...it was also something else. She'd weakened the chakra on her hands, shifting the laser-sharp blades back into something more akin to white-hot flame, and when that combined with the kaiten, it served to transform Hinata into what amounted to a white fireball of offensive motion that exploded directly in-between Kiba and Akamaru.

As soon as Hinata's move hit them, both Kiba and Akamaru flew back, their jutsu vanquished. As Kiba skidded on his back, and Akamaru fell to the ground, neither could believe the strength Hinata had shown them. Furthermore, neither of them could believe their jutsus actually worked! As soon as the shock of defeat left them, the two ran up to each other and began jumping for joy, amazed and ecstatic that their first tries at those jutsus all worked with no backfires.

"We did it, Akamaru!! We're one step closer to mastering nature manipulation!!!"

As the kaiten spun out, she crashed to the ground, trembling as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, sweat-drenched and panting.

"Con..congratulations..Kiba-kun.."

Almost completely forgetting Hinata was there, Kiba and Akamaru stopped jumping for joy and looked over at her for a moment. Kiba grinned and walked over to her, still ready and raring to continue, but willing to accept defeat after Hinata's impressive display.

"Why're you congratulating us, Hinata? You're the one who won. I can't believe that jutsu of yours! I only wish I wasn't spinning so fast, otherwise I might've gotten a chance to see it! That was spectacular!"

Akamaru walked over and rubbed his head against Hinata's side, offering her something to lean against.

With a tired smile, she threw an arm around Akamaru, using his larger form to brace herself against and stand up.

"You mean this?" Holding up a hand, she concentrated, and the chakra flames crackled into being. "Or this?" A narrowing of eyes and they brightened, intensifying and sharpening until they were nearly incandescent.

Both Kiba and Akamaru looked at the flame blade with awe and amazement.

"Wow!! That's amazing, Hinata!! Does this mean you're a fire-element, too?"

She seemed confused for a moment.

"I...I guess so? I didn't really...learn this. It just...happened while I was doing my medi-nin training. It always happens if I concentrate my chakra enough. I just...worked hard to focus it to the point where it's at now. For the unsealing jutsu."

Kiba looked at Hinata, a bit confused himself.

"You mean...did you not test your chakra out back in Konoha? Damn, I wish I had some of that paper, we could've tested it now...What unsealing jutsu?"

"N..no. I never tested it before."

She glanced up at his mention of the unsealing jutsu.

"The one that will remove the juuin from a member of the Bunke..."

"From the Bunke...Neji? You mean Neji, right? Well, did you manage to do it? I know he's here, but I haven't seen him once since I got to the City. Were you able to remove the juuin?"

"I created it for Neji, yes. But...it will work on any member of the Bunke. It means...that when we go home..when I'm head of the clan..that I can set them free."

A warm smile at thought of the one she had developed it through, the hint of sadness that had accompanied it seeming to have lifted slightly. She nodded slightly.

"Neji-kun is....recovering. He injured himself badly training. He came back on Christmas, and he's been taking it easy since then. But...yes. I was."

She bit her lip, cheeks turning pink as she glanced down and fiddled with her fingers.

"I...I took it off...for Christmas..."

In the back of his mind and heart, Kiba still felt hurt that Hinata felt so deeply for Neji and not him. However, he wasn't going to harbor a grudge towards Neji. She chose him, and as long as Neji didn't hurt her, Kiba would be fine with her being with him.

"That's great, Hinata! Congratulations! And yeah, when we finally go back and you become head of your clan, you'll be able to set them all free. It never ceases to amaze me how kind-hearted you are to people, Hinata."

"You..you really think so, Kiba-kun? Thank you..."

She smiled at him, happy to finally be receiving the praise that she'd always longed for from those close to her. She'd worked, trained, so hard. So much work, so many hours spent barely able to move, with all the skin on her upper body blistered from the chakra. But it had all been worth it. Smiling, she turned back to Kiba.

"Ne, Kiba-kun, should we get some lunch?"

Kiba grins and nods.

"Sure, my treat. Let's go."

Kiba walks a bit, then turns around and beckons Hinata and Akamaru to follow, even though it would probably be Hinata who chose the restaurant; he hadn't quite figured out the best places to eat at in the City yet.

With a smile and a nod, she followed him.

"Alright, then."