"Oh, these photos..."
Asuma carefully examined the camera Hinata had handed over. Disguised as an ordinary shop owner, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief, then looked up amiably at Hinata, who sat in a chair nearby. "We can certainly develop these for you, but... would you mind if I offered a few comments?"
"By all means."
Sitting in her chair, Hinata regarded the three people before her with an easy smile. On the surface, they appeared to be nothing more than a middle-aged shopkeeper, his demure housewife, and a cheerful employee.
But she was already on guard, and the character profiles she'd inherited as a transmigrator let her piece together who these three actually were in no time.
The middle-aged shopkeeper's appearance was unremarkable enough, yet a faint trace of cigarette smoke clung to him. Pair that with that signature beard, and while he'd changed his hairstyle and clothes, those alterations were nowhere near enough to fool Hinata.
Sarutobi Asuma, right? The Third Hokage's son. Quite the big fish.
Musing silently, Hinata shifted her gaze to the woman beside Asuma—the one dutifully holding his tools like a good wife. She'd deliberately pinned back the hair framing her cheeks, but a certain seductive quality unique to beautiful women still leaked through. And according to canon, there was only one female Jōnin who appeared alongside Asuma as a pair: Yuhi Kurenai, the genjutsu specialist.
Also the Jōnin who, in the original story, would become Hinata's own squad leader.
That explained it. All those photo development shops she'd seen shuttered along the main street were probably nothing more than illusions Kurenai had cast. The Byakugan could theoretically see through any genjutsu by detecting chakra, but strictly speaking, that ability was most effective against visual-type genjutsu. Given the massive gap between Hinata's current power and Kurenai's, being tricked was perfectly reasonable.
Which made the white-haired employee next to them even more suspicious. He wasn't wearing a Jōnin vest, but the lower half of his face was covered by a mask, and his left eye was wrapped in bandages. To someone who didn't know Kakashi, this disguise might have passed muster—but for Hinata, who knew his canonical appearance inside and out, it was as good as nothing.
"It seems you aren't a professional photographer. See—these photos are all quite beautiful, but each one has minor flaws. Look, this framing is slightly off-kilter, and the window angles show some obvious skewing."
Asuma wasn't exactly a professional himself, but he'd studied photography techniques in his spare time, so spotting the imperfections in Hinata's work wasn't difficult. This made Hinata frown slightly.
It was annoying, but Asuma was telling the truth. She'd never studied photography. The fact that she could take photos at all was already an accomplishment—the technology in this world hadn't even produced a decent point-and-shoot camera yet. Expecting her to produce professional-grade shots by herself was asking too much.
"Your words may have some merit. Do you have any suggestions, then?"
Her tone was distracted even as she asked, but Hinata was actually a bit puzzled. By rights, these three Jōnin should have come to probe her production crew for intelligence. Yet their approach felt more like they wanted to collaborate.
"I can see your production is quite a lengthy work, so here's what I'd propose: we can provide you with a professional photographer, and we'll handle all your photo development going forward. As for compensation—that's negotiable."
Asuma kept his voice as gentle as possible. This kind of mission was rather novel for him, and despite being a Jōnin, he found he genuinely preferred these peaceful assignments.
"From your tone... you seem to think I'm wealthy."
Hinata tilted her head slightly, a sly grin spreading across her lips. "Could it be you know who I am?"
"Uh, well, I've heard a thing or two. Eyes like those belong to the Hyuga clan, right? That's a very prestigious family in the Hidden Leaf. And these photos look like they're part of an ongoing series, so—if you were to hire us, I could offer you a discount."
Even Asuma felt his heart skip a beat. He realized he'd underestimated the pale-eyed girl sitting before him.
True, his pitch sounded reasonable enough on the surface—but it had a glaring hole in its premise.
Hinata currently looked like an eleven-year-old girl. Under normal circumstances, how could a child possibly have enough money to hire professional photo development and photography staff?
In a flash, Asuma scrambled to recover. "Ah—since we just opened, I'm eager to land a few big clients. If you're not interested, just consider it idle chatter on my part."
"Heh."
Hinata let out a dry laugh and stood. She casually brushed a lock of hair from the side of her neck, then nodded. "Very well, then. I'll come by tomorrow morning to pick up the developed photos. If the quality is satisfactory, I'll consider a working arrangement."
As they watched Hinata push open the door and leave, the three Jōnin inside exchanged glances—then let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
"Phew. That little girl is seriously tough to deal with. I keep getting the feeling we've already been made."
Stroking his beard uncertainly, Asuma turned to Kakashi. "What do you think? If you're going to infiltrate her crew, you'll need to learn how to take photos."
"That won't be a problem. But we should still make copies of these photos—the Hokage specifically asked us to bring him a set."
Kakashi grinned at the photos in the developing tray, then glanced curiously at Kurenai. "Speaking of which, Kurenai—what's the matter? You've been awfully quiet."
"Oh—no—it's nothing. I was just... looking at these photos."
Kurenai, in her shopkeeper's wife disguise, looked up with a slightly flustered expression, a faint blush coloring the female Jōnin's cheeks. "These photos seem to be telling a story..."
"Huh? Come to think of it, I still don't know what those kids are actually filming. Isn't it just landscapes or something?"
As the one mainly handling the photo developing, Asuma hadn't actually examined the photos closely. Seeing Kurenai's reaction stirred his curiosity. With a light cough, Kakashi spoke up in a serious tone. "Asuma, Kurenai. I won't mince words—those kids are indeed producing a narrative work, but it involves some rather delicate information. That's precisely why the Hokage wants it collected and investigated. So when it comes to this intelligence, absolute secrecy is paramount."
"Oh? Is that so?"
As a Jōnin, Asuma naturally took information security seriously. Though puzzled, he set aside his impulse to examine the photos more closely.
"That's right. However, while you can't leak anything, I'd suggest you take a good look at these photos. It'll help you understand this mission better."
Nodding with mock gravity, Kakashi flashed a mischievous grin and vanished with a Body Flicker. Watching him disappear, Asuma scratched his head and turned to Kurenai in bewilderment. "So can we look or can't we? Kakashi's got me completely confused."
"I think it's fine... Mm, it's a shame there are only photos and no written storyline..."
Kurenai didn't even lift her head, absorbed in the developed photos. Her rare look of rapt attention caught Asuma off guard. He had no idea what she was seeing in those images, but he understood perfectly well what he needed to do.
"Don't worry! Kurenai, leave it to me—I'll find a way to get you a copy with the full text!"
He thumped his chest with manly confidence, making his promise without hesitation. As a man, this was the moment to go the extra mile for the woman he was pursuing.
"Ah... well then... I'm counting on you, Asuma."
Kurenai nodded, her cheeks tinged pink. She was clearly delighted by the offer. Then, softly, she added: "Asuma... once you get the book, why don't you come by my place? I recently found a few bottles of good sake..."
"Absolutely! I'll have it by tomorrow!"
Without question, failing to give an affirmative answer at this juncture would mean Asuma wasn't much of a man at all.
Perched on a distant rooftop, Kakashi tilted his head with quiet amusement. "Well, well. When those two finally tie the knot, they'd better invite those kids to the wedding... Anyway, time to get back to my post."
Hinata, of course, had no idea that what she'd been shooting had just served as the perfect wingman. She merely found it somewhat amusing that three elite Jōnin—all prominent figures in the original story—had been deployed just to surveil her little crew. And it seemed they were planning to stick around for a while.
Sarutobi Asuma, Yuhi Kurenai, Hatake Kakashi—these three happened to specialize in taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu respectively. If she could pry even a little knowledge from them, it would absolutely accelerate her own growth.
Granted, her current focus was taijutsu, and logically Might Guy would be the best match. But for one thing, Guy should already be assigned as Team Three's Jōnin leader. And then there was, frankly, that bowl-cut hairdo like a watermelon rind, those eyebrows thick enough to bludgeon someone to death, that grin fit for a toothpaste commercial, and above all that green spandex suit that made Hinata's eyes twitch just thinking about it...
So no. For the sake of her nerves and her premium Byakugan, she'd best steer clear of Guy. Asuma was the superior choice. Better yet, Asuma's fighting style combined chakra and taijutsu into nintaijutsu—a philosophy that aligned perfectly with the South Dipper Seven Sacred Fists she'd been bluffing her way through.
Her mind made up, the pale-eyed girl smiled. Her voice dripped with teasing mischief.
"Heh heh heh... Is this an opportunity? If so—"
"It's the perfect recognition and reward for my efforts!"