It was a perfect ambush. The kind of strike that would instantly kill an unprepared target — even a trained ninja.
"It's done!" the assassin exhaled, eyes gleaming with triumph.
But the blade passed clean through the target's neck — and the "boss" flickered out of existence.
A clone.
Before the assassin could react, a shadow dropped from above.
Hinata descended from the ceiling and drove her heel squarely into his chest.
The man flew backward like a ragdoll, crashing through the wall and spitting out several teeth as he tumbled across the ground.
The noise jolted Kiba and Shino awake. They burst out of their rooms, weapons ready, only to find the would-be assassin sprawled outside — and a gaping hole in the wall that he had not created himself.
"Did… Hinata kick him through the wall?" Kiba muttered, half in disbelief.
Seeing her teammates arrive, Hinata decided not to intervene further.
"He's only Chunin-level," she said softly. "You two can handle him."
Then she turned and walked back inside.
Kiba and Shino exchanged a look. No words were needed — they both understood perfectly.
Moments later, they leapt into action, their movements perfectly in sync.
Outside, the sounds of combat echoed through the yard.
Inside, Hinata opened the door to the hidden chamber, releasing the trembling mine owner within.
"Is it over?" he asked, pale-faced.
"It's being handled," Hinata replied calmly.
The man sank into a chair, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"I don't understand. That incident wasn't my fault! I already compensated them as I should have. Why go this far again?"
Hinata glanced at him briefly, saying nothing. Her job was to protect him — not judge his affairs.
…
After Kiba and Shino subdued and captured the assassin, a quick interrogation — combined with Kiba and Akamaru's keen sense of smell — led them to the assassin's hideout. There, they found and captured the person who had commissioned the hit.
With that, the B-rank mission was successfully completed.
As for the fate of the assassin and his employer, that was the mine owner's concern.
Hinata's duty ended the moment her client was safe. A shinobi's role was to complete the mission — not interfere with the choices or politics of others.
…
In gratitude, the mine owner insisted that Hinata's team stay another week.
With no new missions pending, they accepted the offer and enjoyed a rare period of rest.
The mine, vast and prosperous, extracted and processed coal — a business so lucrative that its owner was wealthier than even the Daimyo of the Land of Springs. To him, Hinata's enormous appetite was a source of amusement rather than alarm.
"Eat as much as you like!" he said cheerfully.
And Hinata did exactly that — to her heart's content.
For the first time in a long while, she found herself reluctant to leave.
But all good things must come to an end.
After seven days of peace, Team 8 said their goodbyes and began the journey back to Konoha, carrying gifts Hinata had collected along the way — small trinkets and sweets she'd picked out for Hanabi.
…
As the gates of the Hidden Leaf came into view, they were suddenly stopped by the ANBU.
Hinata blinked in surprise as a masked operative handed her a scroll.
"A mission directly issued by the Hokage," he said curtly.
"A mission… now?" Hinata murmured, opening it.
Her expression changed as she read the contents.
Sasuke Uchiha had defected from the village. The Sound Four had been sent to retrieve him, and a pursuit squad led by Shikamaru Nara was already in motion.
Hinata frowned in confusion.
"Why would Sasuke suddenly leave…?"
The new order was clear: assist in retrieving Sasuke.
Without hesitation, Hinata handed the scroll to Shino.
"I'll go ahead first," she said softly.
Then, her eyes flashed — and her chakra surged.
The Ten-Tails' Chakra Mode ignited around her, and in the next instant, with a thunderous boom, she vanished from sight — a blur of white light darting across the horizon.
When Shino finished reading, he and Kiba didn't waste a second. They took off after her, following the trail of her immense chakra.
…
As she sprinted through the forest, Hinata began shedding her weights one by one.
Her speed increased exponentially, the air around her warping with the pressure of her movement.
To her surprise, she felt her body lift slightly off the ground — a fleeting sensation of weightlessness. It was as though the Ten-Tails' chakra allowed her to glide.
By stomping off tree trunks, she could propel herself forward at low altitude, skimming hundreds of meters through the forest before landing again. Each step, each burst, sent her soaring faster and farther.
Her Byakugan, twice refined through evolution, painted the world in intricate clarity — revealing every obstacle, every chakra signature, every distant fight.
…
The first battle she saw was Choji's.
Through her Byakugan, she spotted him locked in combat with a massive man — Jirobo of the Sound Four.
Even from afar, she could see Choji's exhaustion. Without hesitation, Hinata reached for the scroll at her waist, unsealed a puppet, and sent it flying forward as she sprinted past.
The puppet — a humanoid doll dressed in a combat kimono and wearing an iron mask that covered its eyes — landed between Choji and Jirobo, intercepting the latter's punch.
"Who are you?!" Jirobo barked, startled.
The puppet responded wordlessly, striking with Gentle Fist.
In mere seconds, the air rippled with bursts of chakra as it parried and countered Jirobo's attacks.
As Hinata dashed past, she turned her head and unleashed Rabbit Hair Needles.
Her hair shot outward like steel wires, sealing Jirobo's chakra points from afar while the puppet continued its relentless assault.
Choji, who had been moments away from swallowing his red chili pill, froze.
When he saw the familiar, elegant figure of Hinata's puppet, relief washed over him. He exhaled shakily and collapsed, consciousness fading.
…
Hinata didn't stop.
She raced onward, her eyes scanning ahead.
The next person she found was Neji.
The battle was already over. His opponent — Kidomaru — lay motionless, and Neji himself was collapsed on the ground, blood staining his chest.
"Neji-nii!" Hinata called out, rushing to his side.
"Neji-nii, can you hear me?"
But there was no response.
Her heart clenched.
"Ten-Tails' chakra… I wonder if that would work?"
The thought flickered — and vanished almost immediately.
Hinata remembered all too well the agony she had endured when she first received the Ten-Tails' chakra. That searing, soul-crushing pain… if she transferred even a fraction of it to Neji, it could destroy him completely.
Suppressing the idea, she swiftly unrolled a sealing scroll and retrieved a small container of pills. After feeding Neji a few to stabilize his breathing, she wrapped his wounds with clean bandages.
With practiced hands, she broke off sturdy branches, tied them together with cloth, and fashioned a makeshift stretcher. A puppet emerged from another scroll to help lift Neji's body, and together they began carrying him out.
From behind came a shout —
"Hinata!"
It was Kiba, his voice echoing through the trees as he followed her scent.
"Please—help me take Neji-nii back to the village!" Hinata called.
Kiba's eyes widened when he saw Neji's pale face and bloodied chest.
"Oh man! How did this even happen?!"
There was no time for explanations. Kiba and Shino quickly took over the stretcher, racing back toward Konoha while Hinata turned once again toward the battlefield.
…
The third ally she found was Rock Lee.
His fight had already ended. Though he was sitting on the ground, panting heavily, his injuries weren't fatal — merely the aftereffects of opening the Eight Gates. His opponents, Sakon and Ukon, lay lifeless nearby.
Since there was nothing more she could do for him, Hinata gave a quick glance to confirm his condition, then continued her pursuit without hesitation.
Lee watched her figure streak past, a white blur darting through the forest canopy.
Leaning against a tree, he blinked in confusion. Without a Sharingan, he couldn't even make out her movements — only the faint, flickering glow she left behind.
…
The fourth battlefield came into view.
Shikamaru was struggling against Tayuya, his chakra nearly depleted. His Shadow Imitation Technique flickered weakly, on the verge of collapse.
"This is it…" Shikamaru thought bitterly, his body trembling. "So this is where it ends…"
Across from him, Tayuya — now in her Cursed Seal Second State — grinned wickedly.
"You're out of tricks, genius."
But before she could move, her smirk froze.
In an instant, Hinata appeared behind her.
Her right arm hooked tightly around Tayuya's neck, locking her in place. Then —
Crack!
A deafening thud followed as the two crashed through two massive trees, splintering them to pieces before hitting the ground.
Shikamaru steadied himself on one knee, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Tayuya lay amid the rubble, still barely conscious.
Hinata didn't hesitate. She activated her Rabbit Hair Needles, her hair extending like steel wires to strike precise chakra points across Tayuya's body.
Then, she layered a sealing jutsu over her and bound her securely with a rope.
Living captives were far more valuable than corpses — and Hinata knew that better than anyone.
"Are you alright, Shikamaru?" Hinata asked softly, carrying the unconscious Tayuya with one hand as she approached.
"Yeah… barely." Shikamaru exhaled heavily. "We almost didn't make it. You got here just in time."
He glanced at her, then frowned. "Wait — you came from behind us. What about the others?"
Hinata quickly explained everything that had happened — from Neji's condition to Lee's victory. Shikamaru listened silently, and when she finished, his shoulders finally relaxed.
"Thank goodness… Everyone's still alive," he murmured, relief washing over his face.
From him, Hinata also learned the current situation.
Sasuke had been taken by another pursuer — a man named Kimimaro, according to Tayuya's earlier words. Naruto had already gone after him.
Shikamaru swallowed a few soldier pills to restore his chakra, then nodded.
"Let's go. We're not done yet."
Together, they resumed the chase.