Inside a private training room,
Hinata, dressed in a short-sleeved outfit suited for Gentle Fist practice, was swinging her small fists at Kaede over and over again.
"Don't hold back. Let your attacks flow freely."
Kaede wore loose, comfortable clothes. With just one hand, he casually parried all of Hinata's strikes. His Rinnegan of Samsara scanned her chakra flow, evaluating her current level of control and capability.
Hinata's strength wasn't weak by any means. As a Byakugan wielder, she may not compare to prodigies like Sasuke or Naruto, but she still ranked in the middle tier among her peers. The issue was, she subconsciously pulled her punches during combat.
Even when she told herself to go all out, there was always a sliver of hesitation deep in her subconscious, an instinctive inhibition rooted in her personality. She simply wasn't suited for direct combat.
Kaede was well aware of this.
That's precisely why having her inherit Hamura's chakra made sense. Konoha no longer lacked combat-capable shinobi. What it needed now was someone specialized in communicating with Tailed Beasts, something Kaede had planned for Hinata long ago.
With Hamura's power, she could suppress the Tailed Beasts, and her gentle nature made her the perfect candidate.
"Y-Yes…"
Hinata responded softly between light breaths and pressed forward with her strikes.
After blocking a dozen more blows, Kaede stepped back and said,
"That's enough."
Through that brief sparring session, he had gotten a solid read on her level of chakra control and had a good sense of how much of the seal he could safely release.
After letting her sit and rest for a while, Kaede released about one percent of the seal suppressing Hamura's chakra. Immediately, a powerful surge of energy began to well up from within her.
"Ah... mm..."
Hinata's body stiffened, her Byakugan activating instinctively.
Even with just one percent of Hamura's chakra unsealed, it already surpassed her total chakra reserves, placing a heavy burden on her. The energy began to influence her own chakra flow, threatening to overwhelm her.
"This much should be within your ability to control."
Kaede watched her and spoke calmly.
Hinata bit her lip slightly, determination flashing in her eyes. After nearly a minute of focus, she managed to suppress the energy and deactivate her Byakugan.
"Good. Keep it like that."
Kaede gave her a slight smile.
"Treat this chakra as your training weight. Stay in this state for now, live like this, train like this. Once your body adapts, I'll unlock another layer. One step at a time, your physique will change to handle it."
With that, he turned toward the door.
"Come on. Grab your things, we're heading out."
"Right…"
Hinata stood up timidly.
While she had been able to suppress the chakra while sitting, the moment she stood, it began to surge again.
The unstable chakra burst from her feet, making the floor beneath her creak and crack.
"Ah… ah…"
Realizing she had damaged the floor, Hinata panicked and instinctively took a step back, only to shatter another tile underfoot. The cracks spread wider.
"Relax."
Kaede, now at the doorway, glanced back at her and said calmly,
"Don't panic. Take it slowly."
"Yes."
Hearing his words, Hinata calmed down a bit. She focused on controlling the chakra rampaging like a Tailed Beast within her.
Then, carefully, she took a step forward. Her foot landed without breaking the floor, and she exhaled in relief, slowly walking toward the door.
=============
Half a day later.
Three peculiar vehicles rolled out of Konoha.
Each was made of wood and metal, roughly the size of two small rooms. Instead of wheels, they moved on multiple metallic "legs" that stepped forward like living creatures.
When encountering bumps or pits in the road, the legs would adjust automatically, moving with the grace of liquid metal. The result was an exceptionally smooth ride.
Inside one of the vehicles,
"Hinata, right? You're so cute."
Rin sat next to Hinata, smiling warmly as she playfully pinched the girl's cheek. The affectionate gesture made Hinata blush and lower her head shyly.
"P-Please take care of me, Nohara-sama…"
Rin's touch had made it harder for her to control her chakra. She had to concentrate just to suppress the surging energy inside her.
Rin withdrew her hand and smiled.
"Don't be so formal... You know, the Hokage really dotes on you. He's using his rare vacation time just to help you train."
"Eh? V-Vacation?"
Hinata blinked and looked up at her.
Rin tilted her head and grinned.
"Yup. It's a rare holiday for Hokage-sama."
From Rin, Hinata learned that this was originally supposed to be a relaxing trip. Kaede had brought her along not because he had to, but to guide her training during his precious time off. Guilt welled up in her heart, and her resolve to master her ancestor's power only grew stronger. She wouldn't let him down.
=============
In another vehicle,
Kaede lay back and withdrew his gaze.
His original plan had been to open a space-time portal and jump straight to the hot spring resort, but he ultimately decided against it. After all, that would defeat the purpose of a vacation, and this way, he could give Hinata some guidance on the journey.
=============
Meanwhile, far above...
On the surface of the moon,
The sky split open, space fragmenting into patches of black before merging into a pitch-black corridor. It was the pathway of Yomi, Yomotsu Hirasaka.
From within the rift, a lone figure emerged.
He wore strange clothing unlike any ninja in the Shinobi World. His eyes were nearly identical to the Hyuga's Byakugan, and on his forehead sat a crown-like band with a jagged hole at the center.
"So this is it…"
"Otsutsuki Kaguya's world…"
Floating silently in the void, Urashiki Otsutsuki looked down at the Shinobi World below.
Then, glancing around the surrounding space and sensing the area, he gave a faint smirk tinged with sarcasm.
"Those two, Momoshiki and Kinshiki, really are taking their time… I guess that's what happens when you get old."
His eyes flickered.
"Let's confirm whether this is the right place first… and gather a little intel on that traitor while we're at it."
With that,
His figure blurred as he descended toward the Shinobi World.
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Completed version available on Patreon.com/Veltoria