Several days later, Hinata finally completed the last of her D-rank missions and exhaled in relief.
At last.
Her plan was to take one day off before moving on to higher-level missions—B-rank and above. That was the plan.
"Me?" she asked in surprise during her next visit to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade nodded. "Yes. Since your teammates haven't returned yet, you'll temporarily join Team 7 as the acting Chunin leader. You'll be crossing the border. If you encounter any enemy shinobi, the mission will be reclassified as B-rank. If not, it'll remain C-rank."
Hinata hesitated for a moment, but before she could reply—
"Hinata! Come on, let's go already!" Naruto burst through the door, grabbed her wrist, and started pulling her out of the office.
"W-Wait! I need to go home and prepare first!" Hinata protested, her eyes wide in surprise at his sudden enthusiasm.
"What's there to prepare? It's just a C-rank mission! We'll finish it quick and be back before dinner!" Naruto grinned, refusing to slow down.
Before Hinata could respond, Sakura appeared, red-faced and fuming. She grabbed Naruto by the collar and yanked him back. "You idiot! Don't rush her like that! Hinata, go get ready—we'll wait at the village gate!"
Hinata blinked, caught between amusement and exasperation. Well, there's no escaping now.
Keeping her usual composure, she told them she'd meet them at the entrance, then hurried back to the Hyuga compound.
She packed several scrolls and supplies, knowing that crossing the border meant the possibility of camping out. After informing her father and mother, she turned to her little sister.
Hanabi was sulking again. Hinata sighed softly—she had been so busy that she'd neglected her recently. She crouched down and smiled.
"I promise, when I return, I'll spend the whole day with you. No excuses this time."
Hanabi's eyes brightened instantly. "Pinky promise! No take-backs!"
Hinata hooked her little finger with Hanabi's and nodded warmly. "Mhm. I promise."
Fifteen minutes later, Hinata dashed out of the Hyuga residence, vaulting over the high walls and gliding across rooftops. Occasionally, she misjudged her strength and cracked a few roof tiles—but no one would notice. Probably.
At the village gates, Naruto and Sakura were already waiting. With a few brief words, the three of them set off on their journey.
…
Meanwhile, inside the Hokage's office—
"Lady Tsunade, is it really safe to let Naruto leave the village like this?" Shizune asked anxiously. "That organization is still after him. Inside the village, he's protected. But outside…"
"With Hinata accompanying them, they'll be fine," Tsunade replied confidently. "Her Byakugan can detect enemies from great distances. Besides, after seeing her performance during the Chunin Exams, I trust she'll handle things properly."
Tsunade exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, the real issue is Naruto's constant pestering. Every single day, he begs for high-level missions. It's exhausting! He's still a genin—what kind of fool sends a genin on A or S-rank missions?"
At that, her expression turned a touch wry. Because, truth be told, almost every "ordinary" mission Team 7 had ever taken had turned into something extraordinary.
Escorting a bridge builder turned into a battle with an elite rogue ninja from Kirigakure. Guarding a famous actress spiraled into a national succession crisis.
Lucky or cursed—it was hard to say which.
Now, with Kakashi away on an S-rank solo mission and Sasuke still absent from the village, Tsunade worried that Naruto might once again stumble into something far bigger than expected.
So, she decided to take precautions.
A simple C-rank mission. Just finding a lost animal. Nothing dangerous. Nothing complicated.
To appease Naruto, she made it sound more impressive by mentioning it could be reclassified as B-rank if trouble arose—but in her mind, that was purely theoretical.
After all, what could possibly go wrong with finding a missing pet?
As for assigning a team leader, both Shikamaru and Hinata had been considered—but Shikamaru had conveniently taken another C-rank mission outside the village to avoid running into Tayuya again.
That left only one logical choice.
…
On the other side, the three of them were sprinting through the forest, the wind brushing against their faces. Hinata held the mission scroll in her hands, reading carefully as she ran.
The task was simple—to find a lost ferret that had escaped into the Land of Wind, a region bordering the Land of Fire.
It sounded like an ordinary C-rank mission. If not for the distance involved and the need to cross borders, it would have been categorized as D-rank.
"Hinata, are you still wearing your weights?" Sakura asked from behind, her breath slightly uneven as she noticed the metallic sound accompanying Hinata's movements.
Hinata turned her head, met Sakura's curious gaze, and nodded softly.
"Really? How heavy are they? I should try some at home too!" Sakura said, intrigued.
"Sixteen hundred jin," Hinata replied calmly.
There was a sharp thud. Naruto, who had been running ahead while eating an onigiri, slammed straight into a tree trunk and dropped flat on his back, his limbs sprawled out like a starfish.
Sakura nearly tripped. "One thousand six hundred jin?!" she exclaimed, wide-eyed.
For reference, ninja often enhanced their physical power using chakra. But that kind of strength was temporary—short bursts of explosive energy. Once chakra ran out, everything reverted to normal. True physical strength, however, came from raw conditioning.
And Hinata's was built through relentless, self-destructive training.
"How… how is that even possible?" Sakura muttered in disbelief. With her current strength, even enhanced with chakra, she could barely reach a few hundred jin. The gap was staggering.
Hinata thought for a moment. It wasn't a secret, so she decided to explain.
"It's mostly related to food," she said softly.
Indeed, Hinata's ability to eat was nothing short of miraculous. No matter how much she consumed, she never gained weight. Even the Akimichi clan, known for their enormous appetites, couldn't match her.
As the eldest daughter of the Hyuga main family, Hinata had access to top-tier resources and meals rich in chakra-nourishing ingredients. Combined with her high metabolism and brutal training regimen, her body absorbed and converted every nutrient with near-perfect efficiency—resulting in an absurdly strong physique.
Upon hearing that, Sakura quickly lost her enthusiasm. "That's impossible to copy…" she said with a wry smile. The daily cost of such food alone would bankrupt most families.
Hinata smiled faintly, not offended.
Naruto, however, clenched his fists. "So what?! Even if you eat instant noodles or expired food, as long as you train hard, you can still get stronger! Perseverance beats luxury!"
Sakura shot him a pitying look. "That's why you're still short, Naruto. You don't even eat properly."
Naruto opened his mouth, then closed it again, unable to argue.
Hinata reached into her ninja pouch and pulled out two small pills, offering one to each of them. "Here," she said gently. "Vitamin supplements to restore your chakra and blood. Try them."
Sakura hesitated. "A-Are you sure? These must be really expensive…"
Hinata shook her head with a reassuring smile. "It's fine. Take them."
The two exchanged a quick glance and swallowed the pills in one go.
A moment later, their faces turned bright red. Steam rose from their heads, and their eyes bulged as they felt energy coursing through their bodies.
"This is insane! I feel like I could punch through a mountain!" Naruto shouted, jumping around.
"It's so hot! So much chakra—it's overflowing!" Sakura added, fanning herself desperately.
Hinata watched their reactions with quiet amusement, though a faint doubt lingered in her mind.
We're all human… so why is my reaction so different?
It wasn't arrogance—just simple observation. If the others were like bowls, she was like a reservoir. The difference in capacity was staggering.