"Hinata, Neji, begin."
After sunset, in one of the Hyuga clan's training rooms, Hizashi Hyuga and Hiashi Hyuga brought Neji and Hinata inside to start their match.
Hiroki Hyuga stood aside as an observer.
Hinata and Neji were about the same age and often trained together.
In the past, Neji had always easily defeated Hinata, something that disappointed Hiashi Hyuga.
But now, he held a little hope.
Recently, Hinata had become much more diligent, frequently asking him for various scrolls. Perhaps this time would be different.
Yet he was still disappointed.
Within a few moves, Hinata was already stumbling back, barely keeping her balance.
"Phew~"
Neji exhaled lightly, retracted his stance, and looked at Hinata with concern in his eyes.
Hizashi remained expressionless, yet inwardly felt somewhat unbalanced.
Despite his son having greater talent, he was destined to be part of the Branch House, becoming an enslaved subordinate.
Hiashi's face darkened.
He had actually felt pleased after Hinata vowed to become Hokage (the village leader and strongest ninja) and began training harder.
Now it seemed like those words had been nothing but empty boasts. With such strength, she could never fulfill her dream of becoming Hokage.
Unheard by anyone else, Kaguya and Hinata were mentally conversing.
"Why did you hesitate earlier?" Kaguya asked in frustration.
Unlike Yugito and Yugao Uzuki, who were already accustomed to killing and required no guidance from her, Hinata was different. Though Kaguya had already instilled some mindset into Hinata, teaching her to align actions with words would require gradual cultivation.
"I didn't want to..."
"You don't want to fight? If it were me, I'd hit even harder!"
"What?" Hinata blinked in confusion.
Before Kaguya could explain, Hinata involuntarily moved forward several steps, assuming a challenging posture.
Neji glanced toward brothers Hiashi and Hizashi Hyuga for instructions.
"Continue!"
Right after saying that, Hiashi saw Neji struck down heavily, barely avoiding coughing up blood...
"Are you okay, Neji?" Hizashi stepped forward to help him up, asking with concern.
"I'm fine," Neji shook his head. "The young lady has improved greatly."
A wave of genuine satisfaction washed over Hiashi—at last, Hinata had finally shown real progress...
He lovingly ruffled Hinata's hair. Seeing her father's proud expression, Hinata's face lit up with a bright smile.
After the training ended, Hinata quietly asked Kaguya, "Sister, was that really you?"
"That's right."
"Why were you so harsh toward Neji-niisan?"
"Harsh? If you don't want things to continue like this, defeat your enemies with your own strength."
"...I see."
"Hinata, have you been eating properly lately?" Kaguya suddenly asked.
While entering Hinata's body earlier, she sensed feelings of hunger.
"Eating too much would be very impolite," Hinata replied shyly, looking uneasy.
Kaguya fell silent for a moment, then said, "Then let's go out to eat. No one will care—there are still shops open right now."
Kaguya egged on Hinata Hyuga to sneak out of the Hyuga clan compound.
Meanwhile, Hiroki Hyuga unfolded a scroll he had "borrowed" from Hinata.
It contained techniques for Chakra Nature Transformation.
Such knowledge wasn't taught at the Ninja Academy. After graduation, if one was lucky enough to have a responsible instructor, they might receive some basic guidance. Without a conscientious mentor, one would simply be left in the dark.
You think Kaguya can teach? Please—she doesn't know jack about chakra! She lacked any detailed theoretical understanding.
Before learning about Chakra Nature Transformation, Hiroki had always used chakra instinctively. The Yang nature chakra showed no special characteristics in his hands.
Even his previous body activation technique was something he could practice without fully understanding its principle. He believed it worked by using chakra to stimulate cell division, thus maintaining bodily activity, and he acted accordingly.
However, for all living beings with a limited lifespan, the number of times cells can divide is finite. Relying on stimulating cell division to maintain an active state is not a sustainable solution.
Fire's attribute is combustion, Wind cuts, Thunder spreads easily, Earth alters hardness, Water takes any form, and Yin and Yang represent spiritual and physical energy respectively.
Hiroki's chakra nature is Yang. He wanted to test whether through Yang Nature Transformation, he could use "Yang" energy to enhance cellular resilience and strengthen his body.
"Thank you for the meal, I'm full."
After finishing several bowls of ramen at Ichiraku Ramen, Hinata happily handed her coin purse to Teuchi to pay.
Teuchi stared in disbelief at her retreating figure.
She's so small, but she can eat like a horse.
On her way back, Hinata passed through a sparse little forest.
Within this grove, three or five boys were playing around.
Hinata glanced at them.
Unexpectedly, these kids had no sense of propriety. They approached her as if observing some rare phenomenon.
"Your eyes look really weird..."
"Are you some kind of monster?"
Hinata felt hurt by their gazes.
Her eyes weren't scary at all—they looked just like everyone else's in the clan…
"Hinata, scare off those clueless kids," Kaguya spoke up.
"..." Hinata hesitated.
Bang...
One boy grabbed a snowball from the ground and hurled it at Hinata, shouting, "Hey, white-eyed monster, why won't you speak?"
"You still refuse to take action?" Kaguya's tone carried a hint of anger now.
Hinata's eyes welled up—not just from their stares, but also from Kaguya's sharp tone.
"Hahaha, maybe she's mute?"
The boys laughed louder and edged closer to Hinata, as if trying to get a closer look.
"Hinata, it seems my words no longer hold any meaning to you."
Kaguya took control of Hinata's body carefully, applying only the tiniest amount of force—an extremely subtle pressure.
[Byakugan – Crippling Pressure]
The boys who had been about to lunge at Hinata suddenly felt a powerful repelling force. Their bodies flew backward several meters, landing in the snow where they became buried. Their limbs stiffened, and soon all signs of life faded away.
Not far away, Naruto Uzumaki—a young boy with spiky blonde hair and whisker-like markings on his face—crouched behind a big tree, shivering slightly. He pressed both hands over his eyes and muttered under his breath, "You can't see me… you can't see me…"
At first, seeing those guys picking on Hinata, he'd meant to step in and help.
But just as he was about to charge in, a sudden wave of dread washed over him—as if something terrible was about to happen.
Truthfully, this reaction came from the Nine-Tails sealed within him.
The Nine-Tails was separated from the Ten-Tails, which once existed as one entity with Kaguya. Therefore, it could sense Kaguya's presence.
From the moment it laid eyes on Hinata, the Nine-Tails had inexplicably sensed an extreme danger. It kept silently warning Naruto within him: Don't get close… don't get close…
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** on the weekend!