In an instant, her space expanded tenfold—from one thousand to ten thousand square meters.
Studying the new schematics, Hinata fell silent.
She had to dig a pond, carve a river, install two waterwheels, build three roads, construct five warehouses for storage, and erect a watchtower. Once that was done, she would need to plant trees, shrubs, and flowers.
After some thought, Hinata decided to begin with the warehouses.
The existing logging camps, quarries, and steel mills already produced resources automatically, but once they reached capacity, production would halt. Building warehouses first would allow her to store excess materials instead of wasting them.
That way, she wouldn't need to remain here constantly monitoring production. When she returned, the warehouses would be full—ready for use.
The time flow in the Homeland was ten times faster than reality. Every hour outside equaled ten hours inside. Hinata worked tirelessly, hammering, assembling, and constructing without pause.
…
When she finally completed her tasks, she exited the Homeland half an hour before dinner—remembering well what had happened during her last Byakugan optimization.
As soon as she returned to her physical body, it began.
A wave of searing heat and itchiness surged behind her eyes.
"Ah…!"
Her heart pounded wildly, blood rushing through her veins. Her vision blurred, her temples throbbed, and her Byakugan pulsed with intense pressure. The world seemed to distort around her.
Then—crack!
It was as though some invisible barrier inside her eyes shattered.
The pain subsided slowly. Hinata lay on her bed, drenched in sweat but filled with a strange clarity.
After catching her breath, she stood, removed the heavy training gear, and stepped into the bath to wash away the grime. For missions, she could endure being dirty—but normally, Hinata liked being clean and refreshed.
…
She didn't have time to test her newly enhanced Byakugan; dinner was about to begin—her favorite part of the day.
The Hyūga family gathered neatly around the table—Hiashi and his wife on one side, Hinata and Hanabi on the other.
For a moment, silence reigned. Then Hiashi began praising Hanabi's progress, occasionally glancing toward Hinata.
She, however, showed no reaction at all—her gaze fixed instead on the large bucket of white rice in front of her.
Hiashi sighed quietly. "...Let's eat."
Hinata pulled the bucket closer, lowered her head, and began eating silently, occasionally reaching for side dishes with her chopsticks.
The atmosphere was peaceful—if not for the sight of Hanabi's tiny bowl beside Hinata's massive wooden tub.
…
Then, Hinata froze mid-bite.
Something flickered at the edge of her vision—blurred light and shadow.
A moment later, a piece of pork chop disappeared from the serving plate. Instinctively, Hinata's hand moved, snatching it midair with her chopsticks.
At that exact moment, Hiashi's chopsticks had also reached for it, but seeing his daughter already holding it, he smoothly switched to another dish without a word.
"..."
Hinata blinked, puzzled.
Moments later, the same flicker of light appeared again.
This time, she watched carefully—her enhanced Byakugan tracing every subtle movement.
Hanabi's hand moved.
Her younger sister picked up a fried dumpling.
Hinata's eyes widened slightly. Was that… a prediction?
"..."
As if she had discovered a new world, Hinata diverted some of her focus from eating to quietly observe her parents and younger sister.
The more she concentrated, the clearer and more frequent the flickers of light and shadow became.
She froze mid-bite.
This isn't prediction… she thought, eyes widening slightly. Predictions can't be this precise!
It wasn't instinct or reaction time—it was foresight. She was seeing what would happen moments before it actually did!
To confirm her suspicion, Hinata began testing it. Whenever she saw those light-shadows appear, she would reach out and take a piece of food in advance—vegetables, meat, whatever her family was about to pick up.
At first, no one noticed. But after a few times, Hiashi's brows furrowed, her mother's expression turned curious, and Hanabi puffed out her cheeks.
"HINATA!"
Startled, Hinata flinched and lowered her head, hiding her face in the rice bucket as though frightened. Her heart raced.
Every single shadow movement she had seen had matched perfectly with their actions a few seconds later.
Hiashi wanted to scold her—but seeing her timid, fearful expression, he could only sigh and let it go.
…
After dinner, Hinata suggested they play. Hanabi, still childishly excited, immediately forgot her earlier frustration and agreed with a bright smile.
"What should we play first?" Hinata asked softly.
Hanabi tilted her head. "Hide-and-seek?"
Hinata shook her head. "No… how about rock–paper–scissors? The winner gets to pinch the loser's cheek!"
"Okay!" Hanabi agreed without hesitation. She rarely got to play with her sister, so anything was fine as long as it was together.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
As they spoke the words, Hinata's Byakugan subtly activated. The faint image of light peeled off from Hanabi's form—a hazy outline that revealed her next move.
Hanabi's future self threw scissors.
Hinata, seeing it, calmly formed rock.
"I win." Hinata smiled softly and pinched Hanabi's cheek—just enough to make her squeak, but not enough to hurt.
"Again!" Hanabi demanded.
They played again—and again. Hinata won every single round, twenty in total, until Hanabi's cheeks were flushed and swollen, like two small dumplings.
"Ah! I don't want to play anymore!" Hanabi protested, holding her face. "Onee-sama always wins! Let's practice Gentle Fist—I've gotten stronger!"
Hinata smiled gently and nodded. "Alright."
…
At the dojo, the two sisters took their starting stances, while Hiashi observed silently from the side.
Gentle Fist training was delicate and dangerous, targeting internal organs through chakra strikes. An adult's supervision was necessary to prevent serious injury.
Hanabi's stance was textbook-perfect—sharp and focused. Hinata's, however, was looser, more casual, almost indifferent.
Hanabi moved first, darting in with a cry. Her small hands blurred as she struck toward Hinata's torso.
But before the attack even began, Hinata had already seen the shadow of Hanabi's movement. She shifted slightly—precisely intercepting every strike and breaking her rhythm.
Hanabi gritted her teeth, trying to retreat, but Hinata's follow-up was already there, sealing every path of escape.
Frustration welled up inside her. No matter how she moved, Hinata countered flawlessly, always one step ahead.
"Byakugan!" Hanabi cried, activating her dōjutsu.
Hinata quietly did the same.
The vague light and shadows vanished—replaced by the sharp clarity of true sight. Every muscle twitch, every surge of chakra, every breath became visible.
In that moment, realization dawned on Hinata.
Her Byakugan, now twice optimized, had awakened something deeper—an advanced state that allowed her to see a few seconds into the future.
That was why she could anticipate everything.
As long as the difference in power wasn't overwhelming, this ability made her nearly invincible.
…
"Stop."
Hiashi's calm but firm voice broke through the rhythm of combat. He stood up, looking between his daughters.
"Rest for tonight," he said evenly. "Tomorrow, you'll have a match—with me. No weights allowed."
Hanabi froze mid-step, panting heavily.
Weights?
Only now did she realize that Hinata had been wearing her training gear during their spar. The thought left her stunned.
She's been fighting me… while weighed down?
…