Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Hyuga Time

Yesterday was a day I was going to have to come to accept. That whole conversation with Kakashi was terrifying and difficult, and the whole Sakura situation may have been even more so. I wanted to leave all that behind me now, not think about Billy Pope again at least, so today was going to be left for training.

It was strange to think about the sheer juxtaposition between my relatively peaceful and academic life back then and what I was faced with now. I was never athletic, never did any sports, probably couldn't do more than one push up, even that was questionable. Now I was punching through trees, and wasn't even sure how easy it was for others in this world to do that. Academics now had to be thrown to the wayside, as my physical prowess was equally important to, if not more important than, my intelligence.

I wasn't quite sure I liked that, but I had to deal with it nonetheless. The only issue facing me now was... how was I going to train? Training by myself was essentially useless as I only knew so much about this world, and that was basically nothing, but finding someone to train me would be difficult. Today was an off day from training with my team, meaning undoubtedly they were all busy with something else. Hinata's father certainly was not a fucking option because fuck him and everything he stood for. He was probably too busy with Hanabi anyways. I knew none of the other Hyugas very well...

Even if I chose not to train at all, what would I do? The Narutoverse basically had nothing in the way of entertainment, or at least what I would consider entertainment. I wouldn't be happy with walks or reading or shopping because I was never really partial to those kinds of activities, not even in my old life. I suppose I'd have to accommodate for that eventually too. But, at the end of the day, I was a shinobi, and a shinobi with something to prove at that. I wasn't going to let Hinata's label as a 'failure' hold me back, and, dammit, I wanted to prove them all wrong.

But, once again, there was the question of who I was going to train with. Eyes scanning the Hyuga compound training courtyard, a feeling of resignation began to settle in me as I recognised I may truly have no options. That was until my eyes landed on Neji off in the far corner... I did know another Hyuga, but was I really going to ask Neji to train me?

Yes. Yes I was.

He was considered a 'prodigy' in the show, right? If there was anyone who could help me develop my skills as a Hyuga it would be him, theoretically. That was of course assuming that I could convince him to train me in the first place, which was likely to be a Herculean task in its own right. Simply approaching him was making me rethink my whole plan, the direct, merciless manner of his strikes recalling memories of his Chunin exam fight with Hinata. Was he really that cold? That heartless? Or perhaps he was that damaged. Whatever the case, I wasn't going to let it hold me back, and I wasn't going to let myself be treated that way.

Trying to disguise my mounting apprehension because what other way could this go than poorly, I walked into the small space he had made his training grounds and recognised that although he had to have noticed my presence he was choosing to ignore me entirely.

I shifted, taking a measured breath to consider my words and prepare myself to ask the question, having social anxiety was bad enough when you weren't surrounded by people who could actually kill you quite easily, "Neji, would you train me?"

He froze mid strike, confusion evident despite his back facing me, and he resumed a normal posture, "And why would I do that, Lady Hinata?" Once again, he communicated himself perfectly without me needing to see his face. His tone was full of ice, of hatred, of so much buried hurt and resentment and bitterness that was only heightened as he turned to face me, eyes sharp as if he wished simply looking at me could make me disappear, but it wouldn't.