"Today's mission for Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10 is to spar with one another and assist each other's training. The nine of you were classmates to begin with. Now that you're opponents, just treat it like the sparring sessions you had back at the Academy."
Sarutobi Asuma and Hatake Kakashi stood side by side before their respective students. Since the three teams were now members of the Film Crew, ordinary D-rank missions had already been removed from Team 7, Team 8, and Team 10's task lists. Hinata had no interest in wasting either her own time or her employees' on jobs like picking up trash, and Sarutobi Hiruzen (Third Hokage) had understandingly approved the backroom arrangement.
In exchange, the Hinata Group had authority to assign missions to its own members, though every one of those missions had to be C-rank or higher. In a roundabout way, this also added a little extra income to Konoha's mission revenue. D-rank mission fees simply could not compare with C-rank ones.
"Oh~! Finally, we're not filming today~! All right! Who wants to fight me?!"
Uzumaki Naruto excitedly rolled his wrists from side to side. After spending so long constantly dressing as a woman, he felt like he was about to develop some kind of problem.
"Hmph~ you keep saying you beat one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, but I never saw it myself! Fine! I'll be your opponent this time!"
Inuzuka Kiba immediately became eager to test him. Naruto really had improved a lot in areas like the Transformation Technique and Clone Technique, but Kiba had never actually seen how strong he was in a real fight. He had not joined the Film Crew yet on the day Naruto transformed under the tailed beast's power, so his skepticism was perfectly natural.
"Quiet. Today's training isn't about fighting each other. From this point on, all of you will follow my instructions. No objections."
Standing in the center, Hinata stepped forward briskly, turned, and spoke. "Do you understand?"
"Ehh~~ Hinata's organizing everything again..."
Naruto and Kiba, who had been glaring eagerly at each other a moment earlier, immediately deflated and stopped. As Leader of the Hinata Group, Hinata certainly had the authority to do this. Besides...
"A B-rank ninjutsu training mission? This girl really doesn't hold back with the budget."
Yuhi Kurenai sat under the eaves and helplessly pressed a hand to her forehead. Today's mission had likewise been issued by Hinata. As Leader of the Hinata Group, she understood that she had to make that status visible at every opportunity. Whatever the actual work involved, merely gathering all three Genin teams together for one assignment was enough to make everyone else notice the presence of this group.
"Well, well~ I suppose the three of us are lucky to have students who make things this easy."
Hatake Kakashi lay off to one side with a racy little book held above his face and yawned lazily. His attitude was simple. If Hinata had ideas of her own, he was happy to let her pursue them. If a teacher could not guide a student in what she was trying to learn, then the least he could do was be ready to clean up after her.
"Mm. And the Chunin Exams are coming soon. I imagine the kids have heard about that by now too."
Sarutobi Asuma likewise watched Hinata arrange the training with quiet approval. He was not as hands-off as Kakashi, but he also understood that students did not need to be overly restrained as they grew. If they had questions, they could simply ask.
"Yes, that's true. Though... I really am still a little worried about them."
Yuhi Kurenai let out a small breath. With her gentle temperament and naturally maternal disposition, she tended to look at her students more like children than subordinates.
Ignoring the three Jonin drinking tea and dozing nearby, Hinata frowned and began laying out her training plan.
"Listen carefully. I think all of you have heard that the Chunin Exams are approaching. Strictly speaking, Genin who have only just graduated aren't really suited to taking an exam like this. But precisely because of that, I want all three of our teams to participate—and I want at least three people among us to earn promotion this time."
The girl with the Byakugan spoke smoothly with one hand resting on her hip. Her words made everyone else instinctively perk up and listen more carefully.
"We don't have to go that far just to increase our influence... though... fine, I admit it's probably the best method..."
Nara Shikamaru started to protest, thought it over, and finally gave up with a dejected slump. He knew Hinata was right.
The Hinata Group was well regarded throughout Konohagakure because of its contribution to the economy, but its members were still shinobi rather than entertainers. Most of them were heirs to prominent clans as well. Abandoning their identities as shinobi was never an option.
That meant their strength had to improve too. If members of the Hinata Group could pass the Chunin Exams immediately after graduating as Genin, their abilities would gain public recognition along with their economic achievements, earning them even more attention.
"So that's why we're training together and discussing tactics? If we meet each other during the exams, we'll be better prepared to respond."
Aburame Shino, ever the master of deduction, loyally supported Hinata's decision. Hinata nodded in satisfaction and raised one hand. A sharper edge entered her voice. "Exactly. So... first, I'm going to show all of you the strongest technique I can currently use."
"Huh?!"
Under everyone's startled or puzzled gazes, Hinata drew in a light breath. Her bangs and the short coat behind her began moving without wind as chakra surged through her body. Fierce orange-yellow flames burst into existence above her raised right hand with a muffled roar. Hinata snapped her arm downward, and searing fire spilled from her palm like a serpent appearing from thin air, devouring several meters of space in front of her. Even the grass on the ground yellowed and scorched instantly beneath the heat.
"Nanto Flame Killing Fist Secret Art—Orochinagi."
Seated beneath the eaves, Hatake Kakashi had already pulled up the forehead protector over his eye and was analyzing Hinata's technique with complete focus. As the Copy Ninja, Kakashi clearly enjoyed collecting ninjutsu. He would hardly have earned that title otherwise.
"That's an astonishing taijutsu technique. Even with the help of those special ninja-tool gloves, power like that combined with the flexibility of requiring no hand seals is already enough to qualify as A-rank ninjutsu."
Sarutobi Asuma likewise watched Hinata's technique with full concentration. Any shinobi capable of reaching Jonin rank would naturally pay attention to a powerful technique that required no hand seals.
"Exactly. When Jonin complete chakra nature transformation, it isn't enough to understand the nature itself. Their chakra pathways and physical bodies also have to be strong enough to withstand that transformation. Does that mean these three children have all reached that level already?"
Yuhi Kurenai narrowed her eyes slightly. As a Genjutsu specialist, she knew very well that female shinobi were generally at a natural disadvantage in raw physical power, which was why so many leaned more heavily toward Genjutsu and ninjutsu. Tsunade, whose strength surpassed that of male shinobi, was basically unique in the entire shinobi world at present. Hinata's domineering nintaijutsu therefore impressed Kurenai considerably.
"Hey, hey... isn't this way too much? A technique like that..."
Inuzuka Kiba's teeth chattered as he wiped cold sweat from his forehead. Judging by what he could smell, the Orochinagi Hinata had just released carried enough heat to turn both him and Akamaru into red-braised dog meat in one blast. Worse, there had been no visible hand seals or wind-up at all. A lethal technique that could erupt without notice was exactly the kind most people feared.
"That's insane. You three are taking this way too far. No. I'm not signing up for the Chunin Exams anymore."
Compared with Kiba, Shikamaru simply announced his intention to withdraw. Hinata lowered her stance and shot him an icy look. "I hear Auntie Nara still doesn't know who plays Lady Higan, does she?"
"Uh..."
Cold sweat instantly covered Shikamaru's face, leaving him speechless. His mother still believed he only worked as an accountant for the Film Crew. If she found out that he was the one playing Lady Higan... she would probably bury him up to the neck, at the very least.
"But... Hinata, even if you put it like that, we might not even be qualified to spar with you anymore. If you use a technique like that, even the conservative estimate is that the rest of us end up seriously injured, right?"
Yamanaka Ino forced a weak smile and tried to keep her voice from trembling too noticeably. At the same time, a clear sense of discouragement showed through. As former classmates, she had never imagined Hinata would leave her this far behind. But judging from that Orochinagi, defeating Ino would take Hinata almost no effort at all.
"Relax. The special training I have in mind works like this. Shikamaru, you'll use the Shadow Imitation Technique to catch me. I'll use chakra to try to break free. That way, I'll train my ability to control chakra throughout my entire body, while you train your proficiency with the Shadow Imitation Technique."
Hinata was not about to use Orochinagi on these subordinates of hers. Her real objective was to learn how to control chakra through her entire body. It would be a terrible waste not to develop such a powerful auxiliary ability of the Byakugan Kekkei Genkai.
If physical movement was prohibited, concentration inside the body would naturally shift toward chakra instead. It was similar to how, when one of a person's senses was impaired, the remaining senses often became stronger.
"Huh? That's it?"
Shikamaru looked at Hinata in surprise, still obviously reluctant. "How does that count as special training? You're already strong enough. And once my Shadow Imitation Technique catches an enemy in battle, the fight is basically decided right there. There's no point in training it this way."
"Is that so? Then consider this situation. You're alone in battle, with no teammates nearby. The enemy is overwhelmingly stronger than you. Your only option is to hold them with the Shadow Imitation Technique and wait for reinforcements, because the moment they break free, you'll be killed. In that situation, would you still tell me there's no need to improve the Shadow Imitation Technique any further?"
Hinata gave a faint, mocking smile. Shikamaru opened his mouth instinctively. From the slight twitch at the pineapple-haired boy's temple, it was obvious that he had immediately begun thinking through the scenario. The conclusion was equally obvious: there was no other solution. He would have to rely on the Shadow Imitation Technique to buy time.
"Next! Shikamaru trains with me. Kiba and Choji train against Naruto. Sakura and Ino will assist Sasuke's training. Shino, your job is the hardest. I want you to closely monitor everyone's chakra reserves across the training ground and give a warning at the appropriate time whenever someone is reaching their limit."
"Get fired up! It's not every day we get a ninjutsu training mission!!"
Unity is strength~
(Yes)