Her wallet had been emptied in one go, yet Hinata was thoroughly satisfied with the expenditure.
This world's power system really could make her vision a reality. Which meant that once her martial art reached mastery, she might finally be able to escape this cage she so despised.
Clenching both hands inside her pockets, Hinata's white eyes gleamed with a rare excitement. But as she was about to leave the Konoha shopping district, her stride faltered. She turned around with a faint scowl—as though completing an obligation—and walked into the cotton candy shop at the entrance of the street.
Right. She knew perfectly well that all of that was for the future. So for now, she still had to get through each day, one at a time.
Before long, cotton candy in hand, Hinata returned to the Hyuga compound. And sure enough, a small figure was already waiting at her bedroom door.
"Sister!"
Hanabi bounded toward her, practically buzzing with excitement. Hinata's mouth twitched, but she forced a smile and held out the cotton candy. "Here, Hanabi. Did you train hard today? This is today's cotton candy."
"Yes! Father praised me again!"
Snatching the cotton candy without hesitation, Hanabi's small face lit up with hope. "Father said my Gentle Fist has reached another level. If I keep this up—"
"Alright, alright, I know. Hanabi's a Gentle Fist prodigy, after all."
Cutting her off with a plastered-on smile, Hinata reached down and patted Hanabi's head, then mustered every ounce of warmth she could fake. "But your sister's a little tired. Let's talk next time, okay?"
"Oh... yes, Sister. Good night."
Hanabi nodded, deflated, clutching her cotton candy as she walked away—glancing back every few steps. She clearly wanted to share her progress, but tonight's Hinata had genuinely run out of patience.
"Annoying brat. I really wish she'd learn to read the room."
The sliding door slammed shut behind her. Hinata stripped with a scowl, threw herself onto the bed, and willed herself to fall asleep immediately—anything to wash away the cloying nausea gnawing at her insides.
"Hmph. That idiot Naruto had better drill the Sacred Fist forms properly tonight. Otherwise, I might not be so lenient with him next time."
Lying in bed, she murmured to herself, flexing her hand open and closed. Then a wave of exhaustion rolled over her. The pale-eyed girl shut her eyes, and as her breathing evened out, she drifted into sleep.
The alarm clock on the floor ticked steadily. Several minutes later—abruptly, unnervingly—the sleeping girl's eyes snapped open. She sat up.
In her own room, Hanabi lay glumly in her futon. Her attempt to earn praise from her sister had been flatly rejected, and the sting of it lingered.
"Sister... she never used to send me away like this..."
Even a child could read tone. The attitude Hinata had displayed tonight—Hanabi had caught the impatience lurking beneath that smile.
No. If she was honest with herself, she'd noticed the change in Hinata for a while now. She'd simply been avoiding confirmation.
But then—footsteps. Soft ones, padding down the corridor outside Hanabi's room. The sound made the little girl bolt upright beneath her covers, instantly on guard.
"Hanabi... it's me..."
The voice from the hallway made Hanabi freeze. Then joy surged through her. "Sister? Is that you?"
"Mm... don't open the door. Just stay where you are."
When Hanabi moved to slide the door open, the voice outside stopped her. "Just stay there... and talk to your sister for a bit."
"Huh? But—"
"Hanabi. Listen to me."
Bewildered, Hanabi halted. From the silhouette cast on the paper door, she could make out her sister's shape. And the voice—there was no mistaking it.
"Yes, Sister..."
Though puzzled by the request, Hanabi had caught something in that voice—something different from the cold, barely tolerant falseness of recent weeks. This was... the old Hinata. Gentle. Kind. And fragile.
"So that's what happened. Father praised me again! I'm going to protect the Hyuga clan, I know it."
She repeated everything she'd prepared earlier, watching the silhouette on the door with hopeful eyes. And sure enough, the figure outside answered in that same soft, tender tone. "Mm. Hanabi is our clan's prodigy. You'll definitely be able to do it."
"Hey, Sister? Why have you changed so much lately? I mean... your clothes, your attitude—it's all different now." The praise brought a warm flush to Hanabi's cheeks, and she couldn't help steering the conversation back to Hinata. "And I heard you've been skipping class a lot. Is something wrong—"
"Hanabi... listen to me. You have to take care of yourself. Father might be strict sometimes, but don't talk back to him—he's already carrying so much. And look after your health. If you can't keep going during training, don't push yourself... I'm sorry. I have to go now."
But the voice outside cut Hanabi off. Urgency and sorrow bled through the words. "Goodbye, Hanabi."
A chill ran down Hanabi's spine. She scrambled to wrench the door open. "Sister, what's going on—"
She was too late. The corridor was empty. As though the person she'd been speaking to had been nothing more than a phantom.
'...Hm? What is this?'
Hazy. Indistinct. Hinata felt her body moving, as if in a dream. She could hear "herself" talking to that annoying Hanabi brat—then leaving the Hyuga compound, heading toward the training field where she, Naruto, and Sasuke had practiced during the day.
'A... dream?'
Through half-shut eyes, she watched "herself" deftly avoid the surrounding undergrowth, then stop at the tree line bordering the training field. In her field of vision—predictably—was that orange figure.
Naruto. Gasping for breath, doggedly throwing punch after punch. Just as Hinata had expected: after being told his talent was lacking, the dead-last had come out here for an all-night session.
'So he does have some work ethic after all. Without it, he'd never close the gap with Sasuke on the Sacred Fist forms.'
The thought came instinctively. But something was wrong. This "dream" was far too vivid. She could make out the grain and color of every tree trunk within arm's reach.
From the perspective of her own eyes, her body appeared to be hidden in a cluster of bushes beside the training field—peeking at Naruto from the shadows in a timid, furtive way. It was the kind of behavior the original Hinata would have displayed.
'Wait. The original Hinata?!'
The thought hit like ice water. Hinata's consciousness snapped fully awake. The instant her awareness returned, the scenery around her sharpened—trees, grass, shadows—all of it crystallizing as the fog of the dream shattered.
Eyes wide open, Hinata stared at her surroundings in disbelief. This wasn't a dream. Her body had actually, physically come here.
"How... that's impossible."
Even for Hinata, this moment brought a visceral wave of dread. She'd accepted her reality as a transmigrator, yes. But this—her body acting on its own while her consciousness slept—meant that this body's original consciousness might still be present.
No... she did possess every last memory this body had ever held, all the way back to early childhood. That was the only reason she'd been able to integrate so smoothly. But still...
"Residual consciousness? Or..."
She raised both hands, clenching them hard. The tension in her knuckles made her eyes narrow. There was nothing for it. She'd have to run a test.
Glancing at Naruto on the training field, Hinata frowned. Then she pushed through the branches and walked out.
"Who's there? Oh, Hinata..."
Naruto whipped around, guard up—then relaxed when he recognized the white-eyed girl. "What's up? It's pretty late to be out wandering around."
"..."
Hinata didn't answer immediately. She walked to the center of the training field, weighed her words carefully, then spoke in a flat tone. "Nothing. You just looked like you were working hard, so I thought I'd give you some extra coaching."
"Huh? Remedial lesson?"
Confused, Naruto straightened up. "What do you mean?"
"Simple. Since you're too slow at learning the forms on your own, we'll try a different approach."
She turned to face him. Slowly, she raised both hands. Veins bulged along her temples—the Byakugan flared to life, her field of vision expanding in an instant. Her voice carried the same oppressive authority as always. "Sparring."
"It's a bit unfair, I'll admit. But since you can't get stronger by beating people up..."
"You'll get stronger by getting beaten up."