In slow motion, the ferocious Samehada swung closer and closer to Kurenai's face. The sheer force of the strike kicked up a violent gust, making Kurenai squint against the wind. The sword emitted a guttural, eager growl—hungry to devour chakra.
But before it could reach her, Samehada suddenly pulled back.
Kisame, sensing something behind him, instinctively twisted his body and swung the blade backward just in time to block a fierce kick.
Boom!
The impact echoed through the air. Hinata and Kisame were both blown backward by the shockwave—each sliding several meters before regaining balance.
Kurenai seized the brief lull and quickly rushed to Hinata's side, keeping her guard up while glancing anxiously at the girl beside her.
"Hinata! You—"
Before she could finish, Kisame's grin widened, his sharp teeth glinting beneath the dim light.
"Such powerful chakra…" he rumbled. "You're definitely worth eating."
He gripped Samehada tightly, eyeing Hinata's form now glowing with radiant, white chakra. The Ten-Tails Chakra Mode cloaked her like liquid light—beautiful and menacing all at once.
As Kisame stepped forward, Itachi's crimson Sharingan spun faintly. Hinata, sensing the shift in killing intent, turned her gaze toward him.
"Hinata! Don't look into his eyes!" Kurenai shouted. She pulled Hinata back just as Kisame lunged again.
Snapping out of the brief daze caused by the genjutsu, Hinata steadied her breath, eyes sharpening. She slipped free from Kurenai's grasp—then dashed forward instead of retreating.
Kurenai's heart lurched. "Hinata!"
But Hinata was already moving.
…
Her optimized Byakugan allowed her to glimpse the immediate future—seconds ahead. Combined with the raw physical power of the Ten-Tails' chakra, she no longer faced the old problem of seeing danger but being too slow to react.
Kisame swung Samehada in a broad arc, its serrated scales howling through the air. Hinata ducked beneath it effortlessly, her movements a blur.
Her palm flashed forward, striking the nerve clusters along Kisame's wrist. The chakra-infused blow disrupted his grip and sent a jolt of pain shooting up his arm.
Kisame hissed sharply, forcing a smile even as he let go of his sword. With his free leg, he swept horizontally toward her midsection.
Hinata flipped backward, the sole of her foot brushing the bridge's surface. Kisame's kick passed just inches beneath her. She landed on her palms, pushing off the ground into a flawless inverted flip.
Three shuriken whistled toward her from Itachi's direction. Still upside down, Hinata twisted midair, evading them with impossible precision.
She rotated her body, gathering momentum, and struck—her heel colliding squarely with Kisame's arm.
Bang!
He blocked the kick with a grimace, the shock running down his bones. Before he could grab her leg, Hinata used the rebound to propel herself backward, landing lightly.
Her short hair flowed, lengthening instantly to her knees as she activated Rabbit Hair Needles. Thousands of fine, chakra-infused strands hardened and shot forward like spears.
Kisame's eyes widened. "What—!?"
In an instant, he was impaled from every direction, his body riddled with hair-thin needles. The next moment, his form burst into water—
—a Water Clone.
Hinata landed as the ground beneath her cracked apart under the pressure of her chakra.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
The river nearby churned violently as a massive water shark surged upward, its jaws opening wide as it barreled toward her.
Hinata's Byakugan pulsed, veins bulging faintly at her temples. She immediately located the real Kisame—hidden in the water's shadow.
Without hesitation, she ignored the incoming shark and turned toward Samehada, lying seemingly lifeless on the ground.
"H-Hinata!" Kurenai gasped.
Asuma's expression hardened. "No—she's going for the sword!?"
Before either could react, the surface of the river erupted again.
"Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique!"
Another shark appeared—colliding head-on with Kisame's own, both canceling each other out in a violent explosion of spray.
From the mist stepped Kakashi, one eye revealed beneath his hitai-ate(*Forehead Protector).
"You picked a bad place to play, Kisame," he said coolly.
Hinata had already noticed him earlier with her Byakugan, observing silently from the shadows. Even if Kakashi hadn't intervened, she had her own counter prepared. Her new ability—Chakra Extraction—was more than just a trick.
But Kakashi's arrival worked to her advantage; it allowed her to conceal her true power.
Freed from distraction, Hinata focused her gaze on Kisame, still linked faintly to Samehada.
She inhaled sharply, gathering chakra into her palms—far beyond what her body could usually sustain.
"Eight Trigrams: Two Hundred and Fifty-Six Palms!"
A blinding hum filled the air as an enormous Eight Trigrams diagram manifested beneath her feet.
Kisame's smirk faltered. He felt his chakra lock into place—his instincts screamed danger. Without hesitation, he abandoned Samehada, darting away to avoid the sealing formation.
The Eight Trigrams, however, held him fast. Unless there was a massive difference in power, escaping it was nearly impossible. That was the terrifying secret behind the Hyuga clan's ultimate taijutsu—it always struck its target.
Seeing the threat, Itachi moved to intervene, but Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma immediately stepped in to stop him.
"Close your eyes!" Kakashi warned. "I'll handle him. I have a Sharingan too."
Kurenai and Asuma obeyed instantly—only to hear a thud moments later.
Kakashi had fallen, collapsing unconscious to the ground.
[Tl/n: LMFAO!]
…
At the same moment, Hinata unleashed her attack. Her palms moved faster than the eye could see, each strike landing with devastating precision.
The chakra strikes bypassed Samehada's defenses entirely—despite being a physical attack, every blow hit perfectly.
Samehada shrieked, its surface writhing as if in agony. Kisame, though standing apart, winced sharply; he could feel the pain through their link.
Had Samehada not siphoned away part of Hinata's chakra, the blows might have crippled him. For a ninja who relied on chakra-based techniques, having his chakra points sealed was a death sentence.
Still, Kisame only laughed.
"Heh… impressive!"
His shark-like grin widened, though the blood trickling from his mouth made the sight more grotesque than ever.
"Kisame," Itachi said quietly. "We're leaving."
Kisame's gills flared. He looked as though he wanted to continue the fight, but he followed regardless. The two rogue ninja disappeared into the mist as swiftly as they had come.
…
As the tension eased, Hinata's glowing chakra faded. The Ten-Tails' mantle dispersed into the air as she walked toward Kurenai. Her gaze fell on Kakashi, unconscious on the ground.
"What happened to him?" she asked softly.
Kurenai frowned. "Probably… genjutsu," she murmured uncertainly.
Asuma exhaled, blowing a ring of smoke to steady himself.
"One look, and even Kakashi was out cold. Hah… almost feels like a joke."
Moments later, Might Guy arrived with several Anbu operatives. Finding no enemies left to pursue, they carried Kakashi to the hospital for treatment.
From Kurenai, Hinata finally learned the truth about the two intruders—Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, both S-rank rogue shinobi.
"Why would people like that come here now?" Hinata asked quietly. "Were they… after something?"
The Jonin exchanged uneasy glances.
Kurenai spoke after a pause, her tone subdued.
"They came for Naruto."
Hinata froze.
Naruto—the boy with no parents, no family, and no one to rely on. What could someone like him possibly possess that such terrifying men would seek?
The answer came swiftly to her mind.
The Nine-Tails.
…
That evening, after saying goodbye to Kurenai, Hinata returned home. But before she could even step inside, Hiashi was waiting by the door.
He handed her a heavy purse of money and took Hanabi by the shoulder.
"Go," he said firmly. "Don't come back until you've spent all of this. Spend time with your fellow genin—talk with them, play with them."
Hinata blinked. "Father, I… I want to train. I need to strengthen my body."
Hiashi's brow furrowed.
"What training? Do you not understand the importance of balance?" he said sternly. "You will rest. With me here, you're not taking another step toward the dojo."
He sighed inwardly, exhaustion written on his face.
Most parents begged their children to work harder. But Hiashi… feared his daughter would train herself to death. Ever since she had gained the Ten-Tails' chakra, her limits had ceased to exist.
Even he—a seasoned Jonin—was unnerved by the way she pushed herself beyond reason.
Hinata said nothing more. She took Hanabi's hand and quietly returned to the streets.
…
When they came home that evening, Hiashi met her at the entrance once again.
"From now on," he said, his tone gentler but firm, "you'll train five days a week. The other two, you'll rest and relax with Hanabi. Train as much as you want, but you are forbidden to push beyond your limits. Understood?"
Hinata had not expected her father to send her out like that. She hated wasting time; to her, strength was never absolute — there was always someone stronger to surpass. So she decided not to hide anything.
Calmly, in front of Hiashi, she drew a short knife and sliced the inside of her palm. Blood welled, bright and steady. Then, under the stunned gaze of her father, the wound knit itself closed with a speed that could be seen with the naked eye. The Ten-Tails' chakra infused her life force, healing flesh as if time had been sped up.
Hiashi rose to his feet, white-faced and utterly bewildered. He rubbed his temples, unable to make sense of the thing he had fathered. Hinata knelt obediently before him, eyes lowered, while his mind raced: what had he given birth to?