Only now did she realize—that gentle face could also show such cold indifference. And those pale eyes, identical to her own, now held only a chilling stare and distance.
"Sorry~"
Hinata suddenly smiled, then reached out to gently pat Hanabi on the head, her tone filled with softness and apology. "Big sister has been working hard to get stronger lately, so harsh training is a must. But don't worry—since I made you worry about me, I'll sneak you a cotton candy tomorrow as compensation. So don't be mad at me, okay?"
"Eh? Really?"
Hanabi was still not even seven years old. Even if she sensed something different in Hinata's expression, she had no way of understanding a transmigrator's identity. And with the promise of cotton candy, her earlier fear was quickly replaced by childlike excitement.
"Of course~ Big sis would never lie to little Hanabi. So, which one do you want—banana or strawberry flavor?"
Hinata smiled sweetly, her eyes curved like crescent moons. Her gentle tone made Hanabi beam with anticipation. "Then… I want banana! But you have to promise, okay?"
"Of course, of course~ Now hurry and get to bed. If Father finds out you're not sleeping on time, you're gonna get scolded~"
Still smiling, Hinata gave her sister's head another gentle pat. Hanabi, a little embarrassed but happy, nodded and left. Once she turned the corner and disappeared from view, Hinata finally shut her door, her smile vanishing like a reflection on disturbed water.
"…Disgusting."
She muttered to herself under her breath, knowing all too well how calculated her earlier performance had been.
Even though she had transmigrated into Hinata's body, that made it even more critical to act carefully within this clan. The Hyuga elders may have already given up on her, but if she acted too out of character, they wouldn't ignore it.
Especially when it came to her "sister," Hyuga Hanabi.
As the designated heir, if Hanabi's training or emotions were affected by her failure of a sister, the elders would absolutely intervene. Whether through punishment or observation, none of it would be what Hinata wanted.
So maintaining a good relationship with the brat she despised? That was just part of the mask she had to wear.
At least, until she was strong enough to leave this clan—and Konoha itself—she had to remain "Hyuga Hinata."
"Well~ guess I'll chalk that up as another mission: coaxing the brat. After all, dealing with annoying kids seems to be my daily routine now~"
Unrolling a blank scroll, Hinata picked up her brush. Naruto and Sasuke—this anime's two male leads—were said to be extremely determined and talented. If that was the case, she might as well "write" them a couple of special "Sacred Fist" scrolls. Since she'd already bluffed her way into the lie, now she had to improvise some "secret martial arts manuals."
In reality, any martial art's biggest hurdle wasn't technique or talent—it was perseverance. Even something silly like "strip rock-paper-scissors" could yield results with enough practice. If those two idiots didn't get stronger, she could just blame it on their own lack of effort.
Hinata smirked as she scribbled nonsense onto the scroll. And if they're too scared to even try the basics? Not my fault~
---
As the night faded and the sun rose again, Hinata—sporting dark circles under her eyes—slung her bag over her shoulder and staggered out of the Hyuga compound, heading for another day of ninja school.
The Ninja Academy was basically a supercharged version of elementary and middle school. Along with regular studies, students learned to throw shuriken, perform basic combat, and master the three core jutsu.
Class was only off on weekends, so Hinata still had to attend. But with short class hours and bento-style lunch breaks, she had plenty of free time.
Sasuke and Naruto were clearly restless. Sasuke still kept up his usual cool-in-class act, but he kept glancing at Hinata now and then—eager for that "Lightning Burial Fist" scroll.
Naruto, on the other hand, was squirming nonstop and outright staring at her. Thankfully, the two usually didn't hang out with her in public, so no one noticed anything odd.
Finally, after three hours in the morning and two and a half in the afternoon, the school day ended. When Hinata leisurely arrived at the agreed meeting spot, Naruto and Sasuke were already there—visibly annoyed.
"You're so slooow, Hinata~~!"
Naruto, as usual, complained loudly. Sasuke just gave a low "hmph" to show his dissatisfaction.
"What's the rush? I stayed up all night copying scrolls—I'm still kinda sleepy."
Yawning, Hinata lazily pulled two scrolls from her bag and tossed them over. "Here~ I couldn't copy everything in one go, so these are just the beginner exercises."
"Alright~! Bring it on! I'll master this in no time!"
Naruto, giddy with excitement, fumbled to open his scroll—only for his idiotically happy face to freeze as he read the first few lines. He reread them over and over before finally gulping audibly.
Sasuke's reaction was nearly identical. His face turned pale as he finished reading the so-called "fist technique." Clearly, it wasn't what they'd been expecting.
"I get that you're scared. After all, this is a martial art so dangerous even Hyuga prodigies don't dare touch it. That's why it was sealed away as a forbidden technique."
Hinata offered words of understanding—but was inwardly laughing. Of course you're scared. You're both just eleven-year-old brats. If I can't control two kids like you with a lifetime of experience, I might as well give up now.
"…Wind Sacrifice Fist, First Stage: You must leap across a 20-meter-wide canyon… huh?"
Naruto was sweating bullets. Sure, ninja students could use chakra to enhance their bodies and pull off simple jutsu—but jumping across a 20-meter gap? That was suicide. Especially since the instructions specified it had to be a real canyon—meaning failure = death.
"Lightning Burial Fist, First Stage: Withstand 500 volts of electric shock…"
Sasuke muttered aloud. Considering that even 220 volts could kill a grown man, 500 volts was practically a death sentence—especially for a kid.
"I get it. I felt the same way. The Sacred Fist relies on using your own chakra attributes to deliver elemental power through your body. That's why you need to begin by learning how to use your chakra effectively—wind to boost agility and air control; lightning to resist electricity. Only then can you move on."
As the orchestrator of the lie, Hinata made sure to keep the act going. She even unrolled her own "Flame-Killing Fist" scroll. "My training method? Walking on burning coals in a handstand—without getting burned. So yeah, not exactly easy. If either of you want to quit, I won't laugh."
Sasuke and Naruto were silent, their faces tense with rare expressions of fear and doubt. Just as Hinata had warned them, this "Sacred Fist" could really get them killed.
After about half a minute of silence, Hinata smiled faintly, rolled up her own fake scroll, and spoke with satisfaction. "Alright~~ three days from now, we'll meet here again. Even if you don't get stronger right away, at least we'll earn some money. See you."
They were just a couple of dumb kids, after all. Scaring them off with suicidal training methods was expected. Besides, they were destined to get stronger later anyway. No need to worry. Her focus was on making money and developing her explosive acupuncture techniques.
Still...
Hanabi the bratty sister, Naruto the loudmouth with dreams of Hokage, Sasuke the emo revenge-seeker...
"All of them… are exactly the kind of kids I hate the most!"
---
[There Are No Shortcuts in This World]
---
The Soldier Pill—a ninja's secret weapon. Its main effect was to temporarily double the user's chakra, enabling them to perform jutsu far beyond their normal capacity. It could also help recover lost chakra and restore combat readiness quickly.
But such a powerful tool came with a price: two major side effects.
First: It worked like a stimulant, forcing the body to convert energy into chakra through chemical means. While the short-term power boost was useful, it caused long-term, irreversible aging at the cellular level. The damage was small but cumulative—no one used them unless absolutely necessary.
Second: They were expensive. Much like real-world performance enhancers, soldier pills cost a fortune. Alongside explosive tags, they were among the most valuable ninja tools, each one costing around a thousand ryo.
Compared to that, explosive tags had more immediate utility—killing enemies or setting traps. So most ninja preferred those over soldier pills. In the original story, only niche users like Kiba ever relied on them.
Still, ignoring the aging side effect, soldier pills were incredibly powerful. Doubling chakra meant a huge increase in combat potential and stamina.
And right now, Naruto was holding a small pouch of soldier pills.
He'd bought them from the Akimichi family pharmacy, where he got a discount. Even then, the price was 8,000 ryo—money that would've taken him over half a year to save. Thankfully, Hinata had paid him for his acting work; otherwise, he wouldn't have had a cent to spare.
"No choice… I've gotta go all in."
Lifting his head, Naruto stared at the waterfall in front of him—located in the western part of Konoha. It was the same place where, in the original story, he'd trained with Jiraiya. The falls were over 20 meters wide and had a drop of more than 100 meters.
As far as training grounds went, it was perfect. It met the width requirement, and if he failed to jump across, he'd just fall into the water below—not to his death.