Later, at home, Hinata opened a wooden box filled with cash and presented it to her father.
"Father, this is 500,000 ryō — the total I've earned over the past month."
Hiashi glanced over briefly, expression unreadable.
"Hinata, do you know how much a meal in this house costs?"
He didn't wait for her answer.
"Eighty to one hundred thousand ryō per meal. You eat six times a day. That 500,000 ryō isn't even enough for a single day — and that's not counting the cost of your pills, medicinal baths, and tonics."
Hinata fell silent, lowering her head.
Hiashi sighed, his voice softening.
"The clan has purchased new land and started a fish and shrimp farm near the coast. Instead of buying supplies from others, we'll raise our own. It'll reduce expenses — and who knows, we might even make a profit."
He paused, then added dryly,
"At least… if you don't eat everything first."
Hinata's face turned red, and she lowered her head further.
"The farm's still in its early stages," Hiashi continued. "Our resources are stretched thin. You'll have to find ways to support yourself for now."
Hinata blinked.
"Support myself? How?"
Hiashi leaned closer, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret.
"When taking missions, pick wealthy clients. Go for protection assignments — ones where you can stay at their estates. They'll provide food and lodging. Think about it — free meals, comfortable rooms, and a good commission. It's efficient."
Hinata blushed furiously.
"B-but… with Kiba and Shino around, it feels embarrassing to eat so much."
Hiashi sighed and gave her a deadpan look.
"Embarrassed? Why? Just say you have a big appetite."
Hinata fiddled with her fingers again.
"If I eat that much, they might not invite me to dinner anymore…"
Hiashi nearly dropped his teacup. He stared at her, speechless, then rubbed his temples.
This daughter of his wasn't greedy — she was strategic.
"It's fine. Eat as much as you like. Sooner or later, they'll get used to it… and besides," he muttered, "they never seem full anyway."
With her father's suggestion still in mind, Hinata realized there was another way to approach her missions. After bidding him farewell, she prepared to leave the house—but suddenly remembered something and turned back toward the dojo.
Using her Byakugan, she spotted her sister even before she reached the entrance. Hanabi, who had sensed her approach, dashed out and leaped straight into her arms.
"Onee-sama!"
Hinata laughed softly as she caught her.
Because Hinata frequently left the village for missions, she rarely spent much time at home. Between her teammates, training, and the constant requests for missions, her schedule was always full. Hanabi's life, however, was much lonelier.
She had spent her entire childhood within the clan compound, studying and training. She had no friends, and the children of the branch families avoided her due to their parents' strained relations with the main family.
Knowing this, Hinata always made time to visit Hanabi whenever she returned home— and she never came empty-handed.
Last time, she had brought a box of animal-shaped gummy candies. This time, it was the same box.
Hanabi's eyes lit up as she eagerly opened the gift — only to freeze when a large, glossy black spider crawled out and landed on her palm.
A childish scream echoed through the quiet Hyuga household.
Hinata picked up the box and smiled teasingly.
"It's fake. See? It's just a toy."
Hanabi sniffled, glaring up at her sister with watery eyes as she pounded her small fists against Hinata's chest in protest.
As an apology, Hinata became Hanabi's "horse," carrying her around the dojo while Hanabi rode on her back, laughing joyfully. They played one game after another — house, ninja duels, and tag — until nearly forty minutes had passed.
"Onee-sama! Let's play a little longer! There's still one more game!" Hanabi pleaded, tugging at her sleeve.
Hinata gently ruffled her sister's hair, her smile warm but regretful.
"Next time, I promise."
And with that, she left for her mission.
…
When Hinata arrived at the mission hall, neither Kiba nor Shino had arrived yet, so she patiently browsed through the latest mission postings.
Her father's advice echoed in her mind: find wealthy clients.
In her past assignments, the clients had been so poor that they could barely feed themselves. How could she, in good conscience, accept their meager offerings?
Hiring a ninja was expensive — often requiring entire villages to pool their money. Even small-time merchants had to stretch their savings to afford one. Even the Hyuga clan, wealthy as it was, found it difficult to sustain her training expenses; what chance did ordinary people have?
Hinata carefully flipped through the C-rank missions on the board, but none seemed suitable. After a moment's thought, she turned her attention to the B-rank section.
C-rank missions were usually simple — beasts, bandits, thugs. But once it reached B-rank, everything changed. It was a clear dividing line.
B-rank missions often involved enemy ninjas: rogue hunts, spy captures, or protecting clients from assassination attempts. The danger increased dramatically — but so did the rewards.
C-rank missions paid anywhere from 30,000 to 100,000 ryō.
B-rank missions started at 80,000, and could go up to 200,000.
After some consideration, Hinata chose a protection mission with a commission of 170,000 ryō.
"This mission isn't suitable for someone of your current level," a veteran Chunin warned her.
But Hinata stood firm. Seeing her insistence, the man reluctantly signed it over to her — though not without immediately reporting it to the Hokage and the Hyuga clan.
Neither side intervened. Both seemed to silently agree — or perhaps, they were content to see how Hinata, the newly promoted Chunin, would handle leading two Genin on a higher-risk mission.
…
While waiting for her teammates, Hinata ran into Team 7, who had just arrived to receive their own assignment.
"Hinata! You're here for a mission too? What kind?" Naruto asked with his usual eagerness.
"Idiot!" Sasuke hissed, shooting him a glare. "Missions are confidential. Don't go asking stupid questions."
Hinata smiled shyly.
"The mission details are confidential, but I can tell you the level—it's a B-rank."
"B-rank?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Wow! That's awesome! We're still stuck on D-rank—"
Before he could finish, Sasuke and Sakura clapped their hands over his mouth and dragged him away.
They chatted for a while about other things, steering clear of any mission talk. When Kiba and Shino finally arrived, Team 8 took their leave and set out together.
…
As soon as Hinata disappeared from view, Sasuke slammed his fist against a tree trunk, his face dark with frustration.
"Damn it! We're wasting time with these pointless D-rank missions. When will I get to fight real opponents again?"
Kakashi appeared behind him, seemingly out of nowhere, his expression lazy as ever.
"That's how it is. Only Chunin are qualified to handle B-rank missions."
Sasuke scoffed.
"Chunin? That's just a title. Strength isn't decided by rank."
Kakashi gave a faint smile beneath his mask but didn't argue. He knew Sasuke wasn't wrong — the current generation of Genin possessed frightening potential. Still, the Chunin rank wasn't purely about strength; it required leadership, judgment, and composure — things Sasuke was still learning.
"Anyway," Kakashi said casually, "a new mission's come in. Since you've all been working hard, I'll bump it up a level. A C-rank mission: bodyguard duty for a certain female celebrity. But before that—let's go watch her latest movie."
Under normal circumstances, the team would have been thrilled by a C-rank mission. But after hearing that Hinata was already handling a B-rank, both Naruto and Sasuke sulked in silence.
Seeing their expressions, Kakashi shrugged.
"Not happy? Fine, we'll go back to D-rank missions."
"Wait, no! C-rank is perfect!" Naruto yelled immediately, while even Sasuke grudgingly nodded. C-rank was still better than chasing cats.
….
Meanwhile, unaware of Team 7's drama, Hinata calmly explained the details of their mission to Kiba and Shino as they traveled.
At first, Kiba was startled.
"A B-rank mission?! That's serious business!"
But his nerves quickly gave way to excitement.
"No problem! We can handle it. Right, Shino?"
Shino gave a small nod in agreement.
Their confidence largely came from Hinata herself. With her leading, they felt a strange but reassuring calm.
Even though they were the same age, her quiet strength and composed aura made them feel safe — as though nothing could go wrong while she was there. It was something both admired and respected deeply.