Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Awakening

"Okay, let's try this again, and not explode this time." I stated firmly as Kiba lined up with the plank.

"How about I punch you instead?" he shot a glare over his shoulder.

"I'll drop it." I held up my hands in surrender before smirking back, "Before you blow a blood vessel."

"Dude, I'm going to break your goddamn spine." he tried to respond with authority but couldn't hide his smile.

"Focus now." I redirected.

He rolled his eyes, readying his fists and bouncing a bit before punching the board clean in half. He let out a whoop, throwing his arms into the air and turning to me with a wide grin, "Holy shit! I did it!"

"Nice!" I smiled back, "Still in one piece?"
Kiba looked down at his hands, "Yep! Wow, dude, I was kinda thinking I wouldn't get there."

I scoffed, "I kept trying to tell you that it would just take time."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make waiting any easier." he sassed.

"Whatever." I smiled, "Just be happy that you're here now. With some work, you'll be able to channel without even thinking about it."

"That'll be good for the chunin exams." he nodded before he suddenly frowned, a pensive look creasing his brow.

"Is there something wrong?" I asked, mildly concerned by the sudden mood change.

"Naw," he shook his head, "it's just that... I dunno. I just feel like I've kinda been using you or something."

"Using me?" I quirked a brow.

"Well, y'know," he smiled sheepishly, "You've been helping me train and learn all this cool shit, and I just feel like I haven't done anything for you."

"You've trained Hanabi plenty." I refuted, "That's a big deal."

"That's her," he frowned, "I'm talking about you."

Something about the way he said that made me feel... special? Important? He was much too genuine for his own good. I thought a moment, "I... I guess I do have problems with defense. I've found that in close quarters if I don't have an obvious offensive advantage I can't do much to protect myself."

Kiba hummed, "Would you like to learn some arm locks? They can be pretty good for both defense and quick takedowns, which in my opinion are the best defense."

"Let's try it then." I wasn't quite certain how useful they would be to me, but I wasn't going to shoot down the idea without trying it first.

"Alright, I learned these recently, so they should still be fresh in my mind." Kiba stated confidently, getting down into a stance, "Throw a punch, and try to do it like if we were sparring or something."

I did as he asked, not certain as to what his plan was. I tried to find a weakness in his stance. I decided to be unexpected and go for his legs. He jumped back, meaning his guard was too open to properly block a strike to the sternum. I was not expecting him to bring up his arm, rotating to the side enough to get his hand behind my elbow, bringing his other hand over to grab near my shoulder and wrench me forward. With a surprised cry, I found myself face-down in the dirt with my arm held straight back. That was really fast.

I glanced up at him in surprise, "How?"

Kiba smirked down at me, letting my arm go, "It's just learning how to use angles and weight plus having good flexibility and reaction time." he held out a hand, and I took it, almost crying out in surprise again when he smoothly pulled me up, "So, wanna learn?"