Hinata had a faint blush on her face and nodded meekly.
Hearing Jie's words, Naruto and Sasuke's jaws dropped.
Could missions really be handled this way? ...Jie didn't care what they thought.
He pulled some mission scrolls from his ninja pouch. As the Hokage, what did it matter if he secretly intercepted a few assignments? Besides, they were only the simplest D-Rank missions.
"These are the scrolls for five D-Rank missions," Jie said mildly, handing them to Sasuke. A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes. "This is your assignment for today. Don't come back until they're finished."
As a good older brother and a dedicated teacher, Jie naturally had to look out for Sasuke and Naruto. He had hand-picked these five missions specifically because they were "perfect" for the duo.
Watching Naruto cheerfully accept the scrolls, Jie couldn't help but silently light a candle for him in his heart.
'Poor, unlucky kid. Hopefully, you'll make it back home by tomorrow morning,' he mused.
After shooing the boys away to start their tasks, Jie turned to the young girl beside him. "Hinata, drink that."
Hinata nodded. Pulling out the potion, she downed it in a single gulp without a shred of hesitation. She even licked her lips, looking as though she was left wanting more.
"Brother Jie, what kind of potion was that? It tasted really good," Hinata asked with a sweet smile.
The simple question left Jie momentarily speechless. Earlier, when Sasuke and Naruto were around, he had used Orochimaru as a convenient excuse.
But now, facing Hinata's innocent expression, he really couldn't bring himself to make the Snake Sannin the scapegoat again.
"This is the latest secret prototype from the Konoha Research Department. That was the only bottle," Jie lied smoothly after a brief pause. He quickly changed the subject. "How is it, Hinata? Do you feel anything right now?"
Hinata closed her eyes, carefully feeling the sensations within her body. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open in surprise.
"I feel a warm current in my stomach," she said. "It's spreading throughout my whole body along my Chakra pathways. And... it feels like something went into my eyes."
Hearing this, Jie gave a barely perceptible nod. As expected, anything produced by the 'System' was top-tier. She had just drunk the Evolution Potion, and it was already taking effect.
Just then, Jie was astonished to see a flash of brilliant azure light within Hinata's typically pearlescent Byakugan.
'Blue?' he thought. 'Could a single bottle of Evolution Potion really be enough for Hinata to awaken the Tenseigan? If so, this potion is completely terrifying!'
As he marveled at the occasional flashes of starlight in her eyes, Hinata suddenly yawned. She rubbed her eyes, looking at him sleepily.
"Brother Jie, I suddenly feel really sleepy..."
Before she could even finish her sentence, her body went limp. She had fallen fast asleep.
'Is this an Evolution Potion or a sleeping pill?' Jie thought, quickly catching her. 'It knocked her out in one cup?'
After examining her condition, he breathed a sigh of relief. He could sense a peculiar, potent energy continuously circulating within her body.
It was this strange energy that had forced her into a deep, normal sleep to facilitate the physical changes.
As for when she would wake up, Jie had no idea. This was his first time using an Evolution Potion, and he had absolutely no reference.
The Hokage Monument was obviously not an ideal place for a nap, but taking her back home wasn't a great option either. A sixteen-year-old carrying a sleeping ten-year-old girl home? Countless indescribable scenarios flashed through his mind.
Looking down at Hinata's peaceful, sleeping face in his arms, Jie briefly paused. Then, he vigorously shook his head, quickly pushing aside the thoughts in his mind.
Scooping Hinata up, he activated the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Swish! They instantly vanished, reappearing in the mountains behind Konoha.
If they couldn't go to the Hyuga compound or the Uchiha compound, the back mountains were the quietest place to rest.
Over the past five years, Jie had left countless Flying Thunder God marks all over the village. He could go virtually anywhere with just a single thought.
Swish! Swish! Jie flickered away and back, now holding a pink picnic blanket. He spread it out over the soft grass, gently laid Hinata down, and sat quietly beside her to wait.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, dusk settled over the forest, and stars began to twinkle in the vast night sky.
Finally, Jie heard a soft moan. Hinata's eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.
With just one glance, Jie could hardly believe what he was seeing. An azure light, shining as bright as the stars, radiated from her pupils.
'The Tenseigan?!' Jie's heart pounded with shock.
This was Hamura Otsutsuki's legendary dojutsu—an eye powerful enough to rival the Rinnegan itself!
However, Jie quickly noticed that something was off. Although Hinata's eyes looked exactly like the Tenseigan, he couldn't detect the world-shaking power they were supposed to possess.
He could feel an incredibly strong ocular power welling up within them...a density comparable even to Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan.
But compared to the god-like tales of the true Tenseigan, this fell far short.
'It's a transitional phase,' Jie realized. 'A state caught halfway between the Byakugan and the Tenseigan... Just like how the Mangekyo is the bridge between the base Sharingan and the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.'
"Brother Jie? How long was I asleep? Why is it already dark?" Hinata asked, her voice tinged with confusion.
Receiving no immediate answer, she fully opened her eyes and noticed Jie staring intently at her face. Curiosity piqued, she wondered if something was wrong with her eyes.
But as she instinctively checked her own condition, a wave of shock washed over her.
Unless she was imagining things, her total Chakra reserves had at least tripled since she left home that morning!
Furthermore, her Chakra pathways felt significantly wider and far more resilient, allowing her energy to flow without the slightest hint of resistance.
'What is going on?' Hinata thought in utter amazement.
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