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Chapter 5 : Let's be fren.​

"Ano, Buto-san?" a voice wrenches me out of my reading as I wait for the class to start.

See, there's a thing about being good at sealing: you inevitably end up putting those absolutely everywhere, which means that you constantly carry with yourselves all sorts of crap, not limited to but including a library worth of books.

I think that, by this point, the chunin responsible for gatekeeping the public library -have to make sure non-allowed people can't go look in the genin and above section, you understand- expects me to show up each day with a new request or something.

Not that the gatekeeping part really stopped me from taking a look at those juicy, juicy books on chakra theory and jutsu making anyway.

I turn myself to face fully toward the one who approached me-

-And I'm absolutely not surprised when my eyes land on Hinata Hyuga.

Well, I'm exaggerating a little here: I knew the Hyuga heiress has been throwing me a few looks when I wasn't 'looking', but I'm honestly a bit puzzled as to why she would start a conversation with me in the first place, the only thing having clued me in that it was her and not anyone else the note of hesitancy in her tone.

"Yes, Hyuga-sama?" I politely answer, taking note of the minute flinch she has as I call her by her title.

Not like I can do much about it anyway: the Hokage can tell me -vocally or through his little 'maneuvers', yes, I see you, you scheming old man- what he wants about making friends or what not, she still is the heiress of a prestigious clan while I'm 'just' an orphan.

Sakura skirts around that rule since she's been in the cool kid class from day one from what I understand, but it's been barely over a month for me, so, for now, I'm appropriately polite according to my newfound circumstances.

"Can I take this seat?" the white eyed girl asks with a bit of trepidation.

I slowly blink.

…I'm honestly having trouble computing the situation correctly right now.

I mean, she's probably asking because it is polite and that's how she was raised, but, come on, it's school, she can park her dumptruck -in the making- of an arse where the hell she may want.

"Of course, Hyuga-sama." I answer instead with a nod, indicating the chair next to me.

She mumbles a quick 'thank you' before sitting herself next to me at the front row seat.

Yes, I am one of those people, but I'm trying to sell the fact that it's 'totes normal she's that good, she was always so serious', you see?

Had to find a way to explain how I am curb stomping absolutely everyone in both academics, electives -not that it is even that hard for this one considering my sole companion in the poison-making class is Ino who, apparently, 'only took it to make her daddy happy, because poisons are so lame, uh!'- and sparring when they're supposed to have been groomed from birth to become shinobis.

On a side-note, the Yamanaka princess didn't have to take the senbons throwing elective the year before, and I'm still malding over that blatant display of nepotism.

No matter, I'll show her exactly how lame poisons can be later.

I come back to my book about the flora specific to the north-north-east regions of the Elemental Nations without a second thought.

Now, at this point, the reading I do about poison making are actually just refresher, since I spent a no little amount of time sneaking into the library since I was born -had to learn about the new paradigm that I could explore with my juicy Venenum instincts and it helped chase away the boredom of infancy-, but, just the same, I have to somehow explain how I got so goddamn good at it some ways, and I literally went over everything I could find on sealing during last year.

And yes, I also snuck into the library looking for more when it wasn't enough, obviously.

At this point, beyond clan knowledge -and I was toying with the idea of paying the Yamanaka a little midnight visit someday, what with them having the premier 'flower shops' in the village- I knew everything that I could find in Konoha about both of those subjects.

Didn't make the read any less interesting, though, chakra could make things really interesting when the right circumstances aligned, and some plants were even more vicious than the most atrocious shits the Imperium of Man had knowledge from.

"Buto-san?" the heiress softly pulls me out of my woolgathering, prompting me to give her another look to see her with her head downcast as she pokes her fingers into each other, "May I ask you a question?"

"Ask away, Hyuga-sama." I answer just as politely as before.

"How did you become so strong?" she blurts out, apparently a bit ashamed.

I blink once again.

Right, I did defeat her during a spar too, wasn't she supposed to be the best in taijutsu among the girls or something?

It would check out, considering she's a Gentle Fist practitioner.

"In what ways?" I ask instead, forcing her to look back at me as I wait patiently for her to come to an answer.

"Excuse-me?" the girl with a rather unfortunate bob cut -that haircut doesn't suit her at all, I'm afraid- answers confusedly.

"I know you're referencing my showings during the afternoon spars, Hyuga-sama, but in what ways do you think I am strong?" I explain further, closing my book to give her my full attention.

She scrunches her eyebrows, apparently not really getting it.

"You beat all the other girls, Buto-san, isn't that what strength is?" she answers hesitantly.

I hum consideringly.

"It does, in a way." I end up saying, before elaborating, "A taijutsu spar isn't a really good way to demonstrate the prowess of a shinobi, it is a means to work on our fundamentals in close quarter combat. I'm winning because of a few reasons: firstly, I take those seriously, which cannot be said from the globality of our fellow kunoichis in training, some of whom clearly neglect the more physical part of our training."

I tilt my head in consideration, before adding.

"Now, that is far from being your case, Hyuga-sama: from the little I've seen of it, you are quite skilled in taijutsu, which is probably something I should expect from a member of the Hyuga-clan-" she flinches again, but I persevere, "-but I think something is missing in your training because something in the way you moved struck me as odd. But I'll come back to it later." I halt her as she opens her mouth and she gives me a nod before I carry on, "Secondly, I take my physical conditioning very seriously, which gives me an edge in the ring since I'm faster and stronger than my opponents. Admittedly, I may take things a bit too far, but I really do not fancy being caught off guard one day, so I am building my foundations as solidly as I can now."

"And thirdly, the mindset." I spear her with a look, making her flinch a little, "When I step in the ring, there's no allies, friends or anything else of the sort. I fight to win, because it may one day make the difference between dead or alive in the field. Every encounter matters because they are the pebbles of experience you use to make the house of your fighting style from. And, from what I've seen during our spar, that is where you come short, Hyuga-sama."

The poor girl almost instantly tears up, but I carry on soothingly.

"And it's alright, Hyuga-sama, not everyone is built to be a shinobi from the start. The fact that you don't want to hurt your sparring partner -don't naysay it, I saw how you fought against the civilian girls versus the clan ones- is a testament to your kindness, but," I nuance, rising a finger, "You should also consider than hurting them now, when it is in a controlled and safe environment, may save them one day in the future."

"I-" she starts, before swallowing, and admitting in a little voice, "I don't know if I really want to be a shinobi…" she trails off, shamefaced.

I pause.

I didn't really expect her to fold like that to me during our very first talk, but maybe it is because I'm the first to actually articulate what she's feeling?

Granted, I have the benefits of foreknowledge, and I know that the girl is too kind to hurt a fly, unless you start threatening what really matters to her heart when she starts throwing everything and the kitchen sink in your face to beat you with it.

"Is that so?" I probe, prompting her to look back at me, "You don't have a goal, something to reach for, that would require the strength you asked me about earlier?"

This is her turn to pause, and, if I was any less observant, I would've missed the slight tightening of her fists atop the table.

Guess she's already head over heels for a certain blond, then.

Nice for her, I totally ship it.

"...I do." she admits after a beat.

"Then, I think you know your answer." I calmly point out, "There's always a price to pay when you want something in this life, Hyuga-sama."

I gesture around us.

"The safety of these walls? The laughs of our children? The knowledge of our elders?" I give her a pointed look, "You are smart enough to know what it costs. All of this was gained by wading through bloodsoaked battlefields, which is all the reason you need to remember a very important thing."

"W-What?" she asks, a little bit disturbed.

"If you strike first and decisively, the enemy won't have the time to take something precious from you." I slowly enunciate while staring at her.

The white eyed girl slowly gulps, before slowly nodding.

I should bill the life-counseling to a certain ponce of a Hyuga, methink.

"W-" she starts haltingly, before taking a deep breath, embers of determination starting to shine in her eyes, "What did you mean when you said that 'the way I moved was odd', Buto-san?"

"I'm not an expert about the Gentle Fist," -understatement of the century right there- "But you are trained by a male practitioner, aren't you?"

Hinata blinks.

"Yes, my father, why?" she answers, now properly curious.

"I was afraid of that." I admit with a sigh, before starting to delve a bit more than usual in my Venenum training, "He is ignoring the fact that you are female, with a different bone structure and muscles repartition than him: you're trying to emulate what he inculcates you, but it just doesn't fit because your shoulder are less wide and your hips very much wider than his. I assume a lot of this training makes use of the Byakugan as a short-cut?" I prompt with an arched eyebrow, to which she nods, "Then it'll be even worse because you're trying to emulate the exact same muscles movement while neglecting the fact that you're built differently."

"But it works for my sister?" she answers confusedly.

"I don't know her, so I can only postulate that she is more inherently talented than you?" I probe once more, and she nods once again, "She probably compensated without a second thought with sheer instincts, then."

"But that means you have a perfectly ready made solution to your trouble: ask for a female trainer for a while, it should do the trick and smooth out your movements." I conclude.

Hinata stares at me for a bit longer, before suddenly saying.

"Hinata."

I blink at her.

"Please, Buto-san, I'd like for you to call me by my name." the white-eyed girl starts, before flushing a bit, looking to the side as she pokes her fingers with each other, "Y-You're the first not to dismiss my worries out of hand… Or being mean about it. I'd like for us to be friends."

I chuckle, before shaking my head.

"Then, please, call me Torika, Hinata-sama." I easily agree after a beat.

I could do largely worse than an in with the Hyuga clan as my first step amid the cool kids.

Plus, the girl is kind of endearing, in a cinnamon roll kind of way.

"P-Please, anything but the 'sama'," she low-key cringes, "I hear enough of it at home."

I look at her.

I smile internally.

"What's wrong with your title, Hinata-sama?" I ask 'cluelessly', "Aren't you worthy of it?"

"Torika-san, please." she begs.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Hinata-sama, I have to respect proper decorum, after all." I answer back smoothly.

She pouts.

It is dangerous for my heart, I admit.

Now if only she did away with that atrocious haircut...

I still managed to embarrass her a bit further before the class started for the day.

[AN: Is this a first meeting I see on the horizon?

Looks like it is!

A rather short chapter, but I found that the scene was enough in itself without adding to it.

And Hiashi Hyuga really should pay Torika something, what with her actually managing to work Hinata's issues in a few well pointed observations.