Training for a Change
“And here we are!” Anko Mitarashi said as she dropped her bags on the ground. Hinata Hyuga followed her as she took a look around their surroundings. The two kunoichi were standing at the edge of a lake in a cavern. Little sunlight made it that far into the cavern, but shining crystals lit up the walls, providing enough light to illuminate the cavern. Anko was busy setting up a tent as Hinata took in the surroundings.“Um…Anko-sensei…what exactly are we doing here?”“We’re training, duh,” Anko responded. “Kurenai asked me to toughen you up so you can hold your own in the next Chunin exam, and this is the perfect place to do it.”“Are you sure? It doesn’t look like there’s many options for food here.”“That’s why I brought some with me,” Anko said as she unpacked. “Got enough to feed us for a whole month.”“Okay…but I still do–”“Besides, I want to help you improve in more ways than one,” Anko said, catching Hinata off guard. “You’re too self-conscious for your own good. You’ve gotta learn to loosen up; stop hiding yourself and be more assertive!”“And this training is supposed to help with that?” Hinata asked, the uncertainty plain to hear in her voice. “I don’t know how anyone can train to be more assertive.”“Well, that’s another reason I chose this location,” Anko said as she finished setting up the tent. “There’s a local legend that this place is supposed to change you to be the opposite of who you are. If it’s true, it might be just the thing you need to get that drive to do better in your life.”“Does it have to do with the crystals here or something else?”“Curious, are we?” Anko asked as she filled a canteen with the water from the pond. “I’ll admit I didn’t hear how exactly it was supposed to work, but hey, if nothing else you’ll definitely be stronger when you leave here than when you came here.” Hinata nodded as she saw Anko pour the water through an odd piece of paper, which remained intact, though soaked where Anko poured the water through. Anko smiled as she said, “Good; looks like the water’s good. Want a drink?”“Yes, please,” Hinata said as she accepted a cup of water from Anko. The two drank the water as they saw the crystals in the cavern shine in a rainbow color for a brief moment before they returned to normal. “Anko-sensei? Is that normal?”“Yeah; must be the little sunlight that comes in refracting light off the crystals in here,” Anko said, barely giving the light show a second thought. “Come on, Hinata; let’s hit the hay. Tomorrow, our training begins in earnest.”“Right, Anko-sensei,” Hinata said as she reached into the tent and grabbed a duffel bag. “Um…should we set up a changing room or take turns in the tent?”“Just change outside; it’s not like anyone’s around to see you,” Anko’s voice came from the tent.Hinata sighed as she began changing into the clothes she grabbed. For some reason, she felt her vision blur as she mindlessly changed clothes. It was only after she’d finished changing, though, that she felt something was off. Looking in the water, she finally understood what was wrong.She saw herself wearing a black silk nightgown that was held up by shoulder straps and only went halfway down her upper legs. The design left her exposing more skin than she felt comfortable with. “Wha…wha…what…”“Looks like I’m not the only one, then,” Anko said as Hinata turned around to see her. Hinata gained a large blush on her face as she saw Anko wearing a light blue pajama set that hugged her curves and left her midriff and half her lower legs bare. “Care to explain why you thought to take my nightie?”“I…I…I just grabbed the closest duffel bag, I swear!” Hinata cried out, her face a deep crimson from embarrassment. “I…I’ll change out of this a–”“Actually, this is perfect,” Anko said, a mischievous grin appearing on her face.“Wha…what do you mean?”“It means, for this entire month, we’re going to wear each other’s clothes!”“WHY?!?!” Hinata shrieked, unable to hold back her embarrassment.“Here’s my thinking. A shy girl like you, flustered at any little skin showing…you’re basically begging your enemies to embarrass you in any way they can, and then you’re a sitting duck. Enemies will take advantage of any situation, and us girls are especially susceptible to situations like ruined clothes and the like. But with you, it can just be as simple as unzipping your jacket. How do you expect to make Chunin with such a crippling liability?”Hinata blushed at the implication and said, “S…still, I don’t think we sho–”“Listen, you have to learn to not be so flustered at any little inconvenience. Out in the field, that could spell the end of you or your team on a mission. There’s more to fighting than just the physical; you’ve got to prepare yourself mentally to battle any opponent.”Hinata calmed down enough to say, “Y…you do have a point…”“Then let’s get to sleep. Tomorrow’s training is going to be an interesting one,” Anko said as she crawled into the tent.Hinata shortly followed suit, still blushing at the sight of Anko shamelessly wearing her pajamas. Anko looked at Hinata and said, “You know, I bet you’d rock a nightie like that when you get more mature.”Hinata’s blush stayed on her face as she said, “I…I…Good night!” She then turned off the lantern Anko had and zipped up her sleeping bag.Anko stayed awake long enough to smirk and think, Oh, training you this way is going to be lots of fun.The next morning, Hinata woke up to see several flashing colors outside the tent. After staring at the display for a minute, she turned to Anko and asked, “How often do you think that’s going to happen?”“It’s probably a twice-daily occurrence; once at dawn, the other at dusk,” Anko said as she got up. “I don’t mind; it’s a pretty light show, don’t you think?”“…yeah…almost mesmerizing…”“Anyway, get dressed; we’ve got a lot of training to do,” Anko said as she took Hinata’s duffel bag and began to leave the tent. “Wait…Anko-sensei, that’s my–”“Remember what I said last night? We’re wearing each other’s clothes so I can break you out of your shy shell. For today, though, no overcoat!” With that, Anko left the tent, causing Hinata to stare at Anko’s duffel bag with a hesitant look. Will wearing Anko-sensei’s clothes really help me not be so shy? I don’t see how that’d be even possible. In any case, I probably shouldn’t keep her waiting. After a few minutes, Hinata walked out of the tent and stared at her reflection in the pool. She blushed upon seeing her body in the mesh bodysuit that left her arms and most of her legs exposed, with an orange mini skirt being the only other cover she was allowed to wear. “I feel so…so…”“Sexy?” Anko asked as she walked toward Hinata. The shy girl noted that Anko hadn’t bothered to put on Hinata’s baggy jacket, leaving her in her own mesh top and baggy pants. “Um…Anko-sensei, why didn’t yo–”“It’s not chilly, so there’s no harm in me leaving that baggy thing off. Gotta say, you’re growing up really well. Keep it up and in a few years, you’ll have any man eating out of the palm of your hand,” Anko said with a smirk.Hinata’s blush grew heavier as she said, “A…A…Actually, I…I don’t…”“I know; you’ve only got eyes for that blond brat with the whisker marks, yeah?” Anko said, causing Hinata to look at her in shock. “Well, that’s another perk of this little fun of ours.”“It’s fun to wear other people’s clothes?” Hinata protested. “I never want Naruto to see me like this…he…he might get the wrong idea about me!”“He’s not gonna do that.”“How do you know?!”“If he cared about looks alone, he’d be fawning over that ponytailed chick in your grade already,” Anko bluntly stated. “You’ve got a real chance with him, but you’ve gotta stop trying to hide yourself away and comparing yourself to others. Be bold; be assertive; take what you want and let no one stand in your way!”Hinata thought about Anko’s words for a while before sighing and turning to face her, assuming her clan’s battle stance. “Okay, Anko-sensei; I’m ready to begin training.”Anko smirked and said, “Perfect; let’s see what you look like when you cut loose!”For the next couple weeks, the two clashed over the lake in the middle of the cavern, with both getting the upper hand over each other on alternate occasions. Anko pointed out flaws in HInata’s fighting style and ways to improve, while Hinata took the words to heart and managed to get better and better with each day that went by.“You’re making great progress, Hinata,” Anko said as she changed into Hinata’s pajamas at the end of the fourteenth day. “Keep it up and you’ll wipe the floor with anyone in the Chunin Exams!”“Thanks, Anko-sensei,” Hinata said as she drank some water. Looking at Anko, she asked, “By the way, are you cold? I noticed you put my jacket on the last few days.”“Oh, really?” Anko asked. “I hadn’t noticed.”“I find that hard to believe,” Hinata said.Before the conversation could go on, the two looked at the crystals shimmering in their rainbow colors again, staring at the sight with calm smiles on their faces. After they reverted to their normal color, Hinata asked, “Hey, do you think it’d be okay if I put on your jacket for the next training? I won’t button it up, I promise.”“Oh…I guess that’s fine,” Anko said. “I see you’ve taken to wearing my nightie more confidently now.”Hinata smiled as she walked back into the tent and said, “What can I say? I have you to thank for helping me love my body better.”Anko smiled as she followed Hinata inside. “Glad I could help.”The next morning, after watching the crystals give their light show, Hinata walked confidently to the middle of the lake and tied her hair in a ponytail while wearing Anko’s full outfit. “Okay, Anko-sensei, I’m ready to fight!”Anko took her place in the middle of the lake, as well, wearing Hinata’s full outfit and adopting a more graceful way of standing, along with keeping her hair down. “If you say so. You sure you don’t want to warm up a little first, maybe get some exercises in?”“Sorry, but I haven’t felt this good in years!” Hinata said as she assumed her clan’s battle stance. “I feel like I need to let out years of hiding my true self away, so please let me become the person you believed I could be!”Anko slightly smiled as she assumed her own battle stance and said, “Okay, ready when you are!” Where’d this confidence come from? Is my training really that powerful that I can make people be as serious about training as I am? …or…am I creating a monster I can no longer control? Sh…should I really be doing this anymore?As the training continued, Hinata started to become more fierce in her attacks, even smiling when she knew she was winning handily. All the while, Anko started to become nervous about what her training was doing to Hinata, hoping she wasn’t going to become as cruel as she used to be.Finally, a full month had passed since Hinata and Anko had entered the cavern, and Hinata stretched after her final spar with Anko. “Aahh, that was a good workout! I feel like I can take on anyone. Thanks a bunch for taking me out here, Anko-sensei!”“Um…yeah, sure…” Anko said as she stood nervously next to the confident Hyuga heiress. Before they could talk more, they noticed the crystals shining in a greater flurry of rainbow colors than before. Noticing something in the water, Hinata jumped on top of the roof of the cavern and looked into the pool. “Well, I’ll be damned…Anko-sensei! There’s a crystal pattern in the center of this lake; you should take a look!”Anko, though hesitant to check it out, joined Hinata on the roof of the cavern and looked down. At the center of the lake, several crystals were growing in an unusual pattern, with several clusters of crystals forming a circle around them. “In the center…it’s the character for “change,” and the circle…it’s almost arranged like it’s a jutsu array!”“It is eerie, I agree, but I don’t think it’s a jutsu,” Hinata said as she leaped down to the tent. “I would’ve definitely seen chakra if it was being used.”“I suppose…” Anko said. Was that crystal formation always there? I don’t remember seeing it all the times I’ve trained here in the past.“Anyway, now that the month is over, we can switch clothes back, yeah?” Hinata said as she took off Anko’s coat. She then paused and said, “You know…I kinda don’t want my old clothes back. I want to dress like this all the time.”“I…I feel the same, but I think our friends would ask why we’re wearing each other’s clothes when we returned, you know?” Anko meekly said.“Then it’s settled,” Hinata said with a grin. “Let’s hit the shops in town before heading home!”==Three Days Later, in Konoha==Kurenai Yuhi, Kiba Inuzuka, Akamaru, Shino Aburame, Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka were waiting to welcome Hinata and Anko back to the village. “I’m curious to see the results of Hinata’s training with Anko,” Kurenai said, more to herself than anyone.“It’d just be nice to have another girl to hang out with,” Ino said. “Maybe she’ll let me take her shopping for new clothes!”“You really think someone as sweet as Hinata would wear anything you pick out?” Sakura asked incredulously.“She may have gotten some different tastes while she was gone; you don’t know.”“Neither do you!”“I’m just curious to see how she’ll fight now!” Kiba said as he pounded his fists together. “Anko-sensei’s supposed to be a beast on the battlefield, so if Hinata’s half as good, we’ll be one of the strongest teams out there!”“Strength isn’t everything,” Shino said in his usual hushed tone. “Honestly, our team’s better suited for reconnaissance than anything, so if she’s better at stealth, she’ll be a better teammate in that regard.”“Took the words right out of my mouth.”Kiba and Shino looked between them to see Hinata standing between them, draping her arms over their shoulders. “You two’ve been slacking if I was able to sneak up on you this easily.” The two boys were about to welcome their teammate back before they took stock of her appearance.The normally shy Hyuga heiress was wearing a mesh tank top underneath an open lavender jacket, revealing her midriff and some cleavage, shorts that hugged her hips and sandals akin to Tsunade’s but without heels. A coat of red lipstick was on her face as she grinned at the two boys.“Hinata, wha…wha…” Kiba stammered, struggling to find the right words to say.“I know; I’m a looker, but don’t stare too long or I’ll knock our lights out!” Hinata said, balling her hand into a fist for emphasis.“Hinata, what happened?” Shino asked, his clothes keeping his expressions hidden.“For some reason, training with Anko-sensei’s given me a new attitude on life, and I’m ready to take on the world! Don’t worry; next time we take it, we’re acing that Chunin Exam for sure!”“Hinata, is that really you?” Ino asked, catching the girl’s attention. “You look great!”“One month away with Anko-sensei really changed you that much?” Sakura asked, flabbergasted by Hinata’s different attitude.“Sakura, Ino; just the gals I wanted to see,” Hinata said as she strutted over to them. She then put a hand on both their shoulders and asked, “Let me ask you straight up: how do you feel about Naruto?”“I mean, he’s not really my type, so I don’t really see him as anything more than a friend,” Ino said, a little nervous about how bold Hinata was acting.“And you?” Hinata asked Sakura, her gaze becoming colder.“Oh, well…we’re just teammates…I don’t really think of him in any romantic way or anything,” Sakura said with a nervous chuckle.“That’s good to hear,” Hinata said as she leaned in closer in order to whisper in their ears. “Because if you ever try to take Naruto away from me, I’ll make sure you regret it until you’re old maids.”As Ino and Sakura gained horrified looks in her eyes, Kurenai looked at Anko, who had walked in behind Hinata, and asked, “What happened with your training? It’s like she’s a completely different person.”“I…I don’t know…” Anko said. “It happened so suddenly…”Kurenai then took stock of Anko’s appearance, with the normally brash woman now wearing a khaki high-collared jacket that obscured her figure, baggy pants and large sandals. “You’re acting and dressing strangely yourself.”“Oh…really?” Anko said, a slight blush appearing on her face. “I…I hadn’t noticed.”Kurenai gave a small chuckle and said, “You know, I think you look cute when you blush; maybe if you let your hair down, you could pull off the cute girl vibe you’re going for here.”Anko’s blush grew heavier as she pulled her collar over her face and said, “K…Kurenai; please…don’t tease me!”Kurenai smiled at her friend’s new shy persona, but turned to see Hinata drag Ino and Sakura away to do some more shopping. Something must have happened to make Hinata and Anko the way they are now. I should investigate where they trained and make sure nothing sinister happened to them. I know Anko wanted to keep her special training grounds a secret…but maybe a few sticks of dango will loosen her tongue.
Crocodile-Kuro
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