Boom!!
With flames rolling and exploding, a Rain shinobi whose entire body was on fire screamed as he was blasted violently away. He bounced once off a tree trunk before crashing to the ground. Judging from the faint twitching of his body, he probably would not regain consciousness for several hours at the very least.
"Hmph. Boring clone tricks. So this really is all you've got."
The flames around Hinata's right fist went out, while the other two Rain shinobi nearby had likewise already been knocked to the ground. Without question, this had been another crushing annihilation. At least compared with the previous groups, these three had managed to provide a small surprise. They were the trio of Rain shinobi who appeared in the original story, using enormous numbers of illusory clones to support their fighting. In the original plot, they really had become the final hurdle for Naruto and the others. Without Yakushi Kabuto's help, it was uncertain whether they would have passed at all.
But now... all that could be said was that these three Rain shinobi were exceptionally unlucky. Their trick of producing huge numbers of Haze Clone Technique illusions was highly effective against ordinary opponents. Unfortunately, among Konoha's nine rookies there were already two people with dojutsu, plus one who relied on smell and another who relied on insects. Against them, the clone trick might as well have been transparent.
"Tch. Bad luck. Another Scroll of Heaven. That still doesn't match the Scroll of Heaven Hinata's team has."
After searching through the three Rain shinobi's packs, Shikamaru frowned slightly. "So what now? Do we keep hunting, or keep moving forward?"
"...No. We're going to rest next."
Hinata relaxed her stance and turned toward the members of her organization. She clearly had a plan. "We possess the strongest reconnaissance methods. We never have to worry about being unable to find a target, no matter when we need one. That means we can save the time other people spend searching and use it to recover our strength. We're going to be stuck in this damned place for quite a while. Exhausting ourselves by constantly rushing forward would not be wise."
"Agreed. We've basically completed our scroll sets already, and we even have one extra Scroll of Heaven. Even if we trade later on, we should still be able to secure the final Scroll of Earth. Besides, we've already fought three consecutive battles today. We need to account for both mental and physical fatigue."
Shino clearly approved of Hinata's decision. This kind of steady, methodical approach truly was the best option in an unfamiliar environment like this.
"Oh, then Sakura and I will prepare the food. Choji, could you help gather some firewood?"
Once Hinata had made the decision, Ino no longer had any doubts and obediently began arranging the campsite. Firewood might expose their location, but within a large group possessing first-rate reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance abilities, there was basically no need to worry about being ambushed. The members of all three teams could restore their strength in peace.
"But~ we only just entered the forest~~"
Naruto shook his head and grumbled reluctantly. Sasuke tilted his head slightly. In theory, he also knew they should rest now, but personally he still wanted to find several more capable opponents.
"If you don't want to sit idle, perfect. Kiba, take this idiot and bring back some decent meat. Sasuke, you and Shino are responsible for defending the campsite. Shikamaru, I'll leave it to you to set up a few small traps around the perimeter."
Hinata assigned tasks one by one, clearly not forgetting the need to guard the campsite. That was also meant to make her own next move easier.
"Huh? Then what about Hinata?"
Realizing what Hinata was thinking, Shikamaru raised an eyebrow slightly. "You're not planning to go scout alone, are you?"
"Of course. Is anyone here better suited to that task than I am? We need to rest now, but familiarizing ourselves with the surrounding terrain is still necessary. It will give us an advantage on the next leg of the journey."
Hinata's answer naturally contained no obvious flaw. But her explanation made Naruto excitedly raise a hand. "Then! I'll go too! Hunting really doesn't suit my tastes~!"
"Shut up. Didn't you hear me say this is reconnaissance??"
Hinata had long since grown used to Naruto interrupting at inconvenient times, so she answered coldly. "I possess the wide-range, penetrating vision of the Byakugan. Whether locating enemies or avoiding them, I'm first-rate. Sasuke likewise has the Sharingan, which can see chakra. Combined with Shino's insects, he's ideally suited to stand watch. Kiba has a superhuman sense of smell, so finding edible animals comes naturally to him. Among the rest, Choji has the greatest strength and is well suited to reinforcing the campsite, while Shikamaru has the most ideas. If he handles the traps, they'll naturally be the most sophisticated."
Folding her arms, Hinata looked at Naruto mockingly. "As for a brainless idiot like you who never stops making noise, you're only suited to helping Kiba carry the prey. Unless~ you'd rather steal Ino and Sakura's cooking job?"
"Uh... Damn it~~ Don't I have any other use at all?"
Naruto shouted with his face and neck turning red after that barrage of mockery. A strangely seductive expression suddenly flashed across Hinata's face. The Byakugan girl flickered to Naruto's side and suggestively hooked an arm around his neck. "Of course you do. You're very useful, but~~ we're not shooting our play right now, are we? Still, I think this setting would be fantastic as the forest for our next stage production. If you're interested, you might as well start getting a feel for the environment. Puhahahahaha~~"
"That's... way too cruel..."
Tears streaming down his face, Naruto stopped arguing, looking utterly aggrieved. Clearly, even he understood that these really were the uses Hinata had for him.
"Hahahahaha~~ All right~~ Miss Naruko, let's hurry up and get the food ready~ I'm the expert in this area. You just be a good pack mule and carry everything~~!"
Kiba, equally unable to suppress his laughter, jumped onto a nearby branch while the furious Naruto chased after him. "Damn you, Dog-Fang! Just you wait!"
Watching the two of them leave in search of food, Hinata shrugged faintly. "All right~ Everyone else, get to work. I'll head out first and scout the terrain around here. See you later."
With that, Hinata jumped onto a branch in another direction and activated her Byakugan. Whatever that Orochimaru fellow was wasting time on right now, she needed to go secure the excellent prey she had set her sights on first.