"I was turned into this!" Isaribi confessed at last. Her tone trembled with bitterness and despair.
Her story was simple—and tragic. Like many others, she had been captured and subjected to grotesque modification experiments. Most didn't survive. Those with weak bodies succumbed to infection or organ failure soon after the procedure.
Isaribi was one of the few survivors, but her survival came at a terrible cost. Transformed into a half-human, half-fish being, she returned to her hometown—only to be rejected and driven away. Wherever she went, she was treated like a monster.
"That bastard!" Kiba growled. "How could anyone do something so cruel?!"
Shino, however, remained calm. Adjusting his glasses, he said evenly, "So… you're working for those people now, attacking our ship and trying to steal the gold for them, correct?"
Isaribi lowered her head, saying nothing.
Kiba frowned, nudging Shino with his elbow. "Hey, don't be so harsh."
But Shino's words cut like a blade. "Not only your body, but your mind has also become corrupted. What you're doing now is no different from those demons."
Isaribi's head snapped up, her voice trembling with anger.
"What do you know?! Do you think I want this? Do you have any idea what it's like to be treated like a monster everywhere you go?! I didn't ask for this! But if doing their bidding is the only way I can be human again—then I'll do anything!"
"..."
Her defiance silenced them. Faced with someone willing to give up everything for a single, desperate goal, words of moral judgment suddenly felt meaningless.
The air grew heavy. Despite being the captive, Isaribi's presence carried an intensity that almost overwhelmed Shino's composure.
Hinata crouched down beside her and tapped Isaribi's scaled leg with her finger. "So it really did turn into fish flesh…"
Isaribi flinched at the touch, her defiance crumbling. Her body shimmered, and before their eyes, the transformation faded—her form returning to that of a mostly human girl, with only faint scales lingering on her arms and legs.
"N-No! I'm still human!" she insisted, her voice trembling.
Hinata didn't respond. Instead, one of her small paper dolls floated out of the cabin, carrying a scroll. Hinata took it, unrolled it—and suddenly, hundreds of sheets of folded paper burst forth, scattering into the wind.
The sheer number was staggering. The papers danced through the air, carried by the sea breeze in a single direction.
Kiba and Shino watched, intrigued. They had seen Hinata fold paper flowers before, but never understood what purpose they served.
Isaribi tried to slip away amid the distraction—but one of the dolls clamped onto her ankle, holding her fast. Despair filled her eyes as she looked toward the flying papers.
Then she froze. The papers were drifting toward the direction she had come from. That was…
…
Elsewhere
"Damn it, why is it taking so long?" a man in red armor grumbled impatiently.
"Relax," another, thinner man named Kenmei replied with a smirk. "It'll be over soon. Look—the ship's already stopped, hasn't it?"
The armored man crossed his arms. "Once she's done her part, we dissect her, right?"
Kenmei nodded casually. "That's what Lord Amachi ordered. Once we have that ship full of gold, the 'fishing light' won't be needed anymore. Let her have one last taste of hope before she dies on the operating table."
Before they could continue, the sky darkened slightly. A gust of wind carried a storm of paper sheets toward them, swirling and filling the air.
"What the—?"
"Be careful!" Kenmei shouted. "There's too much of it—something's wrong!"
…
As it turned out, their vigilance was meaningless—the papers were nothing more than ordinary sheets. The two men even picked up a few, frowning at the bright colors that almost made their eyes spin.
"I have a bad feeling about this," one muttered uneasily. "We should leave—"
Before he could finish, Hinata—observing everything from afar through her Byakugan—formed a quick hand seal. Several pieces of paper suddenly shifted in the air, revealing hidden explosive tags. They ignited in perfect synchronization, closing in fast.
The timing was flawless.
The detonations reached the men just as they realized what was happening.
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion tore through the air. Shockwaves rippled across the sea as the surrounding papers scattered violently, some catching fire in midair. Two agonized screams echoed briefly before being swallowed by the roar of the blast.
Hinata hadn't bombed recklessly—her strikes were precise and calculated.
The first explosive tags destroyed their ability to fight—blowing off a hand to prevent them from forming seals. The next took a leg, robbing them of any chance to escape. The concussive force alone would have left their hearing in ruins.
Moments later, hundreds of paper sheets, still intact, fluttered back toward the ship—carrying the mangled remains of Kenmei and Akado.
At such a distance and over open water, Hinata couldn't risk capturing them alive herself. Using four explosive tags on a pair of small fry might seem wasteful, but the certainty of success was worth it.
At worst, she thought calmly, I can just ask Tenten for more when we return to the village.
She resealed the remaining papers into the scroll, handed it to one of her dolls, and had it return to the cabin. Then, glancing down at the scorched, dismembered bodies, Hinata asked quietly,
"Besides these two… how many more are there?"
Isaribi—still trembling from what she had witnessed—sat up straight and stammered, "O-One! Just one more!"
"Only three in total?" Hinata murmured, mildly surprised. She had expected a large, organized group—but there were merely three of them?
Guided by Isaribi, Hinata directed her gaze in the indicated direction. Activating her Byakugan, her vision pierced the distance—revealing an island, and someone on it who made her eyes narrow in shock.
At that same moment, far away on the island, Orochimaru slowly turned his head. His snake-like senses prickled—someone powerful was approaching.
He stepped out of the room, a sly smile curling across his pale lips. "Hehehe… Sasuke-kun, your old friend has arrived."
Sasuke's expression barely shifted, though a faint stiffness betrayed him. "I have no friends," he said flatly.
Orochimaru's smile deepened, his tone laced with intrigue. "According to the latest reports, the Byakugan Princess has become the very core of the Hyuga Clan. The clan is pouring nearly all its resources into her. It's said her Byakugan has evolved—different from any before it."
"You intend to harm her?" Sasuke asked coldly.
"Heh." Orochimaru's grin widened. "Go ahead. Show me your limits, Sasuke-kun. No one will interrupt you here—fight her freely, without restraint."
Sasuke said nothing, though his eyes darkened. Orochimaru's words implied comparison—comparison to Hinata.
Does he mean I'm weaker than her?
Once, Sasuke might have admitted it. But not now. Not since he gained the Cursed Seal, the Three-Tomoe Sharingan, and full mastery of his lightning chakra.
"...As you wish."
With that, Sasuke vanished—his figure blurring into a streak of blue light. The air crackled as lightning surged around him, propelling him forward at a speed even the eye could barely follow.
From her ship, Hinata saw everything through her Byakugan. She knew the confrontation was inevitable. Yet her focus wasn't on Sasuke—it was on Orochimaru. She wanted to test something crucial: whether her sealing technique could truly restrain someone who couldn't be killed.
"Stay alert," she told Kiba and Shino calmly. Then she leaped from the deck, the sea wind whipping around her.
From the cabin, three paper puppets burst forth, each clutching scrolls, following closely behind their master.
Just as Hinata was about to collide with Sasuke midair, her body flared with radiant chakra—the Ten-Tails Chakra Mode. In an instant, her speed multiplied. A dazzling trail of light streaked across the sea as she bypassed Sasuke entirely and rushed straight toward Orochimaru.
"What—?!" Sasuke's eyes widened. He turned sharply to follow her movement, shocked by her speed.