A Growing Affection

Chapter 67: Jonin Trials, Day 5

"I can do this," Hinata told her reflection, before grabbing the tube  of toothpaste and smearing a little too much on her toothbrush. The  Hyuga heiress forced herself to only think positive thoughts, because  she knew that weapons were her weakest pillar.

Her teeth suitably  polished, Hinata shed her camisole and panties, and moved quickly into  the shower. The Kunoichi shivered under the cold water, but she was  unwilling to wait for it to warm. She and Naruto were meeting at ten AM  at his condo, and she wanted to get in a full three hours of practice  with her weapons first. The pale beauty washed her hair, noticing that  it was almost back to the length it had been before the battle with the  vampire demon. She had become so accustomed to braiding it that she  hadn't realized how long it had become. She debated getting it cut, but  decided to hold off. Her locks rinsed, she caught up the soap and sponge  and began to lightly scrub her skin.

As Hinata slipped on her  uniform's top, and secured her obi, her thoughts drifted back to the  previous night. Even though Naruto had not been expecting to pass the  Genjutsu test, he had not expected to do so badly. But with a good meal,  some reassuring words, and a little bit of dessert, Hinata had  been able to lighten his mood. She blushed at the memory of his kisses,  and the knowledge that she had been ready to make love to him. But  Naruto had managed to show restraint, and fact that made her proud,  thankful, and disappointed all at once.

Hinata picked up the  duffle bag containing her practice weapons, and jogged down to the  courtyard. Thankfully, it was empty, so the older daughter of Hiashi  deposited her bag on the deck surrounding the atrium, and began to set  out her weapons. First were the kunai, shuriken, and needles, the  weapons grouped together as light throwing blades. Next was her original  choice of primary weapon, the manriki-gusari. Under that were her  swords, the short sword, wakizashi, and katana. After placing them on  the patio, she assembled her quarterstaff. That task complete she took  out the paired tonfas Neji had helped her learn. With all her other  weapons ready, Hinata summoned her new primary weapon, the kote Ginmaki.  As soon as the bracers appeared on her wrists, she removed them, and  set them on top of her bag. The protruding edges of the forearm guards  interfered with the tonfas, so Hinata decided to practice with those  first, and then reequip her kote when practicing with all of her other  weapons.

She stepped into the middle of the natural space,  clearing her mind and holding the swinging clubs tightly against her  wrists. She saluted her invisible opponent, and then stepped back into a  fighting stance even as she swung the tonfa in her right hand at her  enemy. She blocked the counterstrike with both weapons, and then rotated  her left hand weapon into her target's shoulder.

A number of  small clues spun Hinata around just in time to block her wooden practice  katana as it descended towards her head. She shifted her right arm to  look at her attacker, and was only mildly surprised to see her younger  sister.

"Good morning, Hanabi," Hinata said evenly. Hanabi Hyuga  had been in a particularly foul mood since returning from the Land of  Lightning. Her team had been eliminated on the second test, and in the  two weeks since, the girl had alternated between snappish and moping.  The younger sister had been telling anyone who would listen that it was  the fault of her teammates and their sensei Choza Akimichi. But now the  only ones who would hear her out were the Branch Family members she  cornered, and their increasingly unsympathetic father.

Hanabi  swung the long blade again, this time aiming at Hinata's neck. She wore a  particularly dark expression, and was attacking with all her strength.  Even so, Hinata was able to stop her two-handed strike with only one of  her tonfa, possessing superior strength from both age and training.  After pushing the sword away, Hinata twirled the bar in her left hand,  bringing it within an inch of Hanabi's face. The younger Kunoichi  grimaced from the implied hit, and stabbed forward towards her sister's  stomach. The Chunin easily sidestepped the attack, scoring two more near  hits against her opponent's left elbow and the back of her neck.