Day after day, Hinata trained relentlessly, constantly pushing her limits. Each time she reached the brink of exhaustion, she forced herself further, breaking through one barrier after another. Her growth was visible even to the naked eye.
By day, she devoted herself to physical conditioning. By night, she worked tirelessly on constructing her home space.
Still, such a repetitive life quickly became monotonous. The only bits of fun she found were teasing her younger sister, sparring with her teammates, and indulging in food.
Her little sister was adorable—simply being around her filled Hinata with warmth and joy.
Her teammates, on the other hand, served as both companions and sparring partners. They helped her complete missions and, at times, became her punching bags. Though she had to restrain herself—since they were, admittedly, fragile—Hinata found the practice both physically and mentally refreshing.
And as for food...
Nothing delighted Hinata more than her six daily meals: breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, and a midnight snack.
Yes—six full meals a day, each brimming with nutritious dishes, meats, and vegetables. And every time, Hinata ate to her heart's content.
Strangely enough, despite her voracious appetite, she never seemed to gain weight. With her intense daily training, her metabolism burned through every calorie. And whenever hunger struck between meals, she would happily snack without hesitation.
The medicines she consumed—potent tonics that strengthened the body—were luxuries few families could afford, yet Hinata treated them almost like candy. As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, and having proven both her talent and discipline, the elders had no objections to concentrating resources on her.
As her performance continued to improve, she began taking medicinal baths and drinking herbal wine to accelerate recovery and enhance her strength.
Hanabi, being much younger, was spared such regimens to avoid forcing premature growth. Hinata, however, was in the prime of her physical development, and as long as the treatments posed no harm, she was given as much nourishment as her body could absorb.
Meanwhile, Neji, the genius of the branch family, could only watch all of this with envy and frustration. His lineage barred him from such privileges. No matter how talented he was, the main family bore the true legacy of the Hyuga clan. The branch families existed only to protect them.
Neji's resentment burned quietly beneath the surface—resentment that soon transformed into fierce motivation.
From that day onward, Might Guy's team gained another training fanatic. Though Neji didn't wear Guy and Lee's garish green jumpsuits, nor share their thick eyebrows and bowl-cut hair, his work ethic matched theirs completely.
This change impressed Guy deeply and further ignited Lee's competitive spirit. Every time Lee pushed himself beyond his limits, Neji would do the same, and the two of them would often collapse from exhaustion—sometimes even ending up hospitalized.
Among the entire team, Tenten had it the hardest. Forced to keep up with both of them, she found herself swept into their madness—training alongside them until she, too, was hospitalized more than once.
Hinata, however, remained blissfully unaware that her own actions had sparked this domino effect. She continued her disciplined routine—eating well, training diligently, and following her schedule without fail.
…
When Hinata arrived at a restaurant south of Konoha Village, Kiba and Shino had yet to show up. She sat in their reserved booth, ordered several of the restaurant's signature dishes as appetizers, and turned to her sister.
"Hanabi, what do you want to eat?"
After Hanabi made her choice, Hinata added the items to the order.
By the time the food arrived, Kiba and Shino finally appeared—late, as usual. Kiba looked impatient, as always, while Shino remained silent and unreadable behind his dark glasses. Hinata wished, not for the first time, that the two could find a balance between loudness and silence.
"Yo! Hinata's little sister! Out with your big sis again, huh?" Kiba greeted with his usual energy.
Akamaru, perched on his head, barked happily and leapt down. Hinata smiled faintly, setting a plate before the little dog with a large meaty bone on it. Akamaru wagged his tail and began gnawing eagerly.
Both Kiba and Shino bore faint bruises on their faces—small reminders of recent sparring sessions with Hinata. Getting beaten by her was almost routine at this point, but thanks to those beatings, their combat skills had improved dramatically.
"So," Hinata asked softly, "what did you want to talk about?"
At her question, Kiba's expression turned serious.
"I just found out something! Naruto's team—they're already taking on C-rank missions! They've even left the village! And what about us? We're still stuck here doing D-rank chores. Don't you think that's totally unfair?"
At the mention of Naruto, Hinata's heart gave a small flutter.
"A C-rank mission?" she asked quietly. "What kind of mission is that?"
"No idea. It's top secret for anyone outside the team. Without the Hokage's approval, I can't find out. But it's probably just protecting someone or clearing out bandits, right?" Kiba guessed.
"There won't be enemy shinobi on a C-rank mission," Shino added calmly. "Those only appear in B-rank and higher assignments."
Hinata nodded thoughtfully, not particularly concerned.
Seeing her indifference, Kiba leaned forward impatiently.
"Hinata! Why don't you talk to Kurenai-sensei for us? Let's take on a C-rank mission too! We could use the experience—and with you helping, we might even handle a B-rank mission!"
Hinata's pale eyes narrowed slightly.
He's getting a little too cocky. I'll remind him of his limits in our next sparring session.
"The rules exist for a reason," she said softly. "Newly graduated genin are supposed to complete lower-ranked missions first. If you're wondering why—"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you'll say," Kiba cut in, waving his hand dismissively. Then he leaned closer, practically begging. "Please, Hinata!"
She hesitated for a moment before gently shaking her head.
"No. We should listen to Kurenai-sensei."
Kiba slumped onto the table, utterly dejected.
The truth was simple—Kiba had oversimplified the situation. Among all the genin teams who graduated that year, some could leave the village for missions, but Team 8 was not one of them.
The reason lay entirely with Hinata.
Her Byakugan was too valuable, too coveted.
Neji's eyes were sealed by the Caged Bird Seal, making them useless to outsiders. No one would risk stealing from the branch family. But Hinata, as the eldest daughter of the main branch, bore no such protection. Her Byakugan could be extracted and transplanted—a terrifying prospect that made both the Hyuga clan and the village administration reluctant to let her leave Konoha.
Until she grew strong enough to protect herself, Hinata would rarely be allowed outside the village walls. And if she did, it would only be under tightly controlled conditions, when the risk was minimal and her safety guaranteed.
It wasn't that Kurenai refused to assign them higher-ranked missions—rather, the Mission Department, the Hyuga clan, and even the Hokage himself were unwilling to take the risk.
Hinata understood this better than anyone. As a child, she had been kidnapped once by the Cloud Ninja. Her instincts—sharpened by the memories of her past life—made her cautious to the extreme. She would not agree to leave the village so easily.
Kiba continued to grumble for a while but eventually gave up when it became clear that Hinata wouldn't change her mind.
Still, that day's gathering left an impression on Hinata. She had learned a bit about Naruto—where he was, what he was doing—and though her admiration for him had faded with time, a faint warmth still lingered in her heart.
"Onee-sama! I can't walk anymore!"
Hinata's thoughts were interrupted by the small, pitiful voice. She turned her head to see Hanabi, her younger sister, standing behind her with outstretched arms and tired eyes. Seeing the exhaustion on Hanabi's face, Hinata's heart softened immediately.
Remembering how hard her little sister had been training these past few days, Hinata crouched down, letting Hanabi wrap her tiny arms around her neck. Hanabi leaned forward, clinging tightly as Hinata lifted her up with a gentle smile.
The Hyuga clan's focus had recently shifted, and Hanabi's training had become noticeably more rigorous. Even at her young age, she was enduring increasing levels of intensity—evidence of how much was expected of her.
"Shouldn't we all be placed in the same basket?" Hinata murmured to herself thoughtfully.
The Hyuga's system of main and branch families had stood for a thousand years, carrying both merit and cruelty. Yet, as Hanabi's only sister, Hinata couldn't bear the thought of seeing her little sister branded as part of the branch family.
Hinata herself had changed. Though she still appeared timid and gentle on the outside, her heart had grown strong—unyielding. She wanted to protect this fragile happiness and peace that she now held. To do that, she had to become stronger than anyone.
I'll increase my training when I get back, she resolved quietly.