At the Hyuga Clan's residence, in Hinata's courtyard, Hinata felt no sleepiness at all. Having stayed up all night, she sat on a chair, lost in thought.
On Orochimaru's side, the early technical preparations were already underway. Tsunade's psychological preparation would likely take some more time, and it was estimated that Sasuke wouldn't be attacking Konoha again. Suddenly, there was nothing left to do.
Now she could consider her own cultivation and equipment issues.
As for equipment, it would require continuous investment from the Family. She needed the clansmen to bring medicinal plants to attempt Alchemy, as well as weapons, ironware, and such to practice Artifact Refining.
She aimed to refine some Magical Artifacts as soon as possible. Currently, she only had the big dipper seven stars sword and the heaven and earth primordial qi pot; the rest were just some Formations and some largely useless Talismans.
To be honest, as a Golden Core Stage Cultivator, this meager inventory was a bit embarrassing. In the Immortal Realm, she would likely end up dead.
But it was normal; there were no Fellow Daoists or opportunities to snatch for herself here. She could only rely on the Profiteer System to exchange for what she needed.
Her own cultivation couldn't fall behind either. She needed to strive to reach the Golden Core Stage Late Stage Peak as soon as possible. Combined with advancing her Artifact Refining and Alchemy, she would further secure herself for successfully Undergoing Tribulation.
Hinata rubbed the space between her eyebrows, feeling as though she were playing several games of chess at once.
She walked out of the room and into the courtyard.
"Someone, come here," she called out softly.
A figure arrived at the sound of her voice.
"Eldest Young Miss."
"I need a favor." Hinata turned around, her tone calm.
"In my name, apply for another allocation of the following items from the clan's supply warehouse. I need them in large quantities." She handed over a pre-prepared list detailing medicinal herbs, minerals, and some specifically requested plant seeds or seedlings.
He took the list and scanned it, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
A few of the medicinal herbs were quite precious, but he didn't ask any questions, simply nodding. "Yes."
"Thank you for your hard work. You may go."
After dismissing the clansman, Hinata returned indoors.
The necessary arrangements had been made; all that remained was to wait and handle the matters at hand.
Hinata's spiritual power surged.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Five Clones appeared.
"Good morning, main body! You haven't summoned us in so long, I thought you'd forgotten you even knew this move," Clone No. 1 greeted her with a grin.
Hinata was speechless. As she recalled, it had only been a few days since the last summons.
"Less lip." Hinata pointed toward the workspace.
"Same as usual: Alchemy and Artifact Refining."
The Clones let out a collective wail.
"Tsk, making us work overtime again. You're already a qualified main body; you need to be self-reliant, you know? You can't just dump everything on us. What will you do when we're old!"
Hinata: "...It's fine. Golden Core Stage Cultivators have long lives. You'll be working for me for at least a few hundred more years. Besides, you are essentially me; it's the same thing."
"True. I think the Clone made a good point; the main body shouldn't rely on us too much."
Clone A: "What's 'true' about it?"
Clone B: "The main body should do things personally and not just seek enjoyment."
Clone C: "That's right."
"No, what the Clone said wasn't good. Everyone is the same; there's no need for this."
Clone A: "What's 'no' about it?"
Clone B: "The main body should supervise the Clones while balancing work and rest for herself."
Clone C: "That's right."
Clone: "Oh, right, right. Oh, no, wait, no. Augh, no, no. Hiss~ Oh, right, right, right."
Hinata: "...Is it right or not?"
"The original verdict is upheld! Get to work!"
"Igiari! I object! Why do you get to soak in hot springs with Tenten and cuddle, while we're treated like slave labor? We demand that the main body respect Clone sovereignty! We express our strongest condemnation!"
Clone A: "She's right."
Clone B: "Right about what?"
Black lines appeared on Hinata's forehead.
"Enough! Objection overruled! The second verdict is upheld!"
Hinata ignored the protests, and the Clones soon became busy.
Though they complained, they didn't slack off once they started working, maintaining extremely high efficiency.
As time ticked by, Hinata's main body focused on refining herself.
After an unknown amount of time, a richer medicinal fragrance wafted through the air, followed by a crisp "ding," announcing the simultaneous completion of a batch of Medicinal Pills and weapons.
Since the ironware and various herbs hadn't been delivered yet, the Clones had to stop their work.
A Clone stretched and leaned over Hinata's desk.
"Are we about to start tomb robbing? Should we go scout the locations ahead of time? I've even got my Luoyang shovel ready."
She pulled a shovel from beneath her skirt—it was indeed a Luoyang shovel.
Hinata: "Where the hell did you pull that from? Do you want a Dragon-seeking ruler next?"
The Clone responsible for Artifact Refining also leaned in, fiddling with a newly finished short blade.
"Say, main body, we're doing Alchemy, blacksmithing, and now we're preparing to raid tombs. Is the next step learning Feng Shui and how to crack mechanical traps? We might as well just form a Hyuga Archeology Team."
The Clone in charge of Alchemy chimed in: "I've already thought of a name for our team. How about the White Impermanence Squad? It sounds so imposing, and it matches our Byakugan perfectly."
Hinata gave them an annoyed glare.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? What 'tomb robbing'? This is scientific analysis, scientific utilization of corpses, scientific..."
"Scientific grave digging," a clone added with a solemn face.
"It's skeletal sample collection!" Hinata corrected.
"It's the same thing in essence," the Clone giggled.
Hinata: *Glares.*
The Clone stopped giggling.
Having nothing else to do, the Clones sat around the table, eating snacks and chatting.
"Tsk, I don't think I've ever dug up a corpse before. This is a first. How about you guys?"
"...?"
The four other Clones looked at the one who asked as if she were an idiot.
"Do you even hear yourself? Is there any difference between us? Were you left out when we shared memories with the main body?"
The main body curled her lip. She really wondered if things were like this on Naruto's side as well. Seeing Clones with her own face acting so foolishly felt very strange.
She sensed that Hanabi was still asleep, having absorbed most of the energy in her body. Once she woke up, Hinata could begin the process of implanting a Spiritual Root.
When that time came, she would no longer be the only Cultivator in this world. At the very least, she would have a companion.
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