She'd spent months at sea and had seen every kind of vessel imaginable—but all were wooden and wind-driven. A steam-powered ship was something completely new, something that shouldn't even exist yet.
"This is… revolutionary," she murmured.
Determined not to let it escape, Hinata extended her chakra control once more, manipulating surrounding debris to jam the ship's propulsion systems.
Temari frowned as she watched Hinata and her team at work. Clicking her tongue in frustration, she strode up to Hinata. "Please leave this area," she said sharply. "This is Sunagakure's concern. Konoha shouldn't interfere."
Hinata blinked, pressing her fingers together nervously. "Naruto… wanted to help," she said softly. "A-And… I agree with him. We're allies, aren't we? Isn't it okay for allies to help each other?"
Temari stared at her, utterly dumbfounded. The timid voice, the hesitant tone—it was so unlike the woman who had just redirected artillery fire with her bare hands.
Her eye twitched. "How… how can someone like you be a Chunin?" she muttered, rubbing her forehead.
"Nothing you say will change my mind! Taking action without your village's authorization is already a serious violation!" Temari snapped, trying to sound firm. "Leave now, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise…"
She trailed off. The sentence died in her throat when she saw Hinata's eyes fill with tears.
In the end, Temari—strong, confident, and notoriously hard-headed—lost… because Hinata cried.
"Hey! What are you doing? Don't bully Hinata!" one of Naruto's shadow clones shouted from afar.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, even the clone hesitated. Wait… Hinata being bullied? That doesn't sound right.
"Who's bullying her?!" Temari protested defensively. "I just told her not to interfere!"
But her voice faltered. With Hinata's teary eyes, trembling lips, and pitiful demeanor, her defense didn't sound convincing at all.
Hinata sniffled softly and said between breaths, "It's not her fault. It's my own fault… I'm just so useless…" She wiped her tears with her sleeve, her voice fragile.
Temari's lips twitched. She wanted to resist believing it—but it looked genuine. Maybe the rumors were true: the Hyuga heiress was strong but timid, powerful yet gentle to a fault.
"Hey, you're really putting me in a tough spot," Temari muttered, scratching her head in frustration. "Honestly, this has nothing to do with you. Why not just head back?"
Realizing that sternness wasn't working, Temari softened her tone. Under the watchful eyes of Naruto's clone and Sakura, she sighed and pulled Hinata aside, intending to offer some comforting advice.
She's a Chunin, for crying out loud. Why is she acting like this? Temari thought, rubbing her temples.
And yet, this was exactly what Hinata wanted.
Go ahead, she thought. Try to persuade me. If you can, I'll concede.
While Temari was distracted, Naruto and Sakura—along with Gaara, Kankuro, and a group of Sand shinobi—stormed the steamship to confront the mysterious invaders. Words were meaningless now; steel and jutsu would speak for them.
Meanwhile, Hinata sat beside Temari, covering her face as if overwhelmed with shame—but behind her hands, her Byakugan flared to life. Through its all-seeing vision, she quietly observed the battle unfolding on the ship.
From her perspective, everything was clear.
The enemies weren't ordinary shinobi. They used chakra, yes—but their methods were twisted, infused with something unnatural. Their bodies had undergone physical modifications, merging flesh with chakra-conductive machinery.
Whenever Naruto or Sakura was in danger, Hinata subtly intervened from afar—controlling loose debris, fallen weapons, and even fragments of metal through her wireless puppet technique to create impromptu shields and diversions.
…
Half an hour passed.
Temari sighed deeply, crossing her arms. "After all that, what do you think? Do you understand now?"
Hinata didn't answer. She kept her head down, shoulders trembling faintly.
Temari frowned. "You're still crying?"
She didn't realize that Hinata hadn't heard a word she said.
Some people respond to strength, some to kindness—and some to neither. Those types are the hardest to deal with.
Fortunately, Temari, for all her pride, had a soft spot for sincerity. Hinata, on the other hand, excelled at gentleness. In this odd pairing, they found an unexpected balance.
To drive the act further, Hinata sniffled again and suddenly leaned forward—burying her face in Temari's chest.
That was the final straw.
"Alright, alright! Stop crying already!" Temari groaned, her composure crumbling. "You're making it look like I'm the bad guy here! And—hey! Don't grab me!"
Unable to handle the situation any longer, Temari fled—rushing toward the steamship to join the battle.
Once she was gone, Hinata lowered her hands, a faint smile curving her lips.
In my past life as an assassin, I often had to wear false identities to get close to targets.
Pretending like this… isn't difficult at all.
…
After waiting for the right moment, Hinata finally rose to her feet and leapt aboard the steamship. Her Byakugan locked onto a flying target—a creature that resembled a humanoid bat.
In an instant, Hinata closed the distance.
"Gentle Step—Heavenly Palm!"
Her strike landed squarely in the creature's chest. With her weighted gear—over 1,600 jin—the force multiplied exponentially. The impact echoed like thunder.
The bat-woman, Kamira, coughed up blood, her eyes wide in shock before Hinata struck several more times in rapid succession. The beast's wings faltered, and she collapsed unconscious, reverting to human form.
Hinata crouched down beside the fallen enemy, her Byakugan scanning her body.
Definitely chakra… but not like ours, she thought. It's different—twisted.
Kamira could fly, making her the hardest opponent to subdue. The others had already been dealt with—either slain or captured alive.
But what Hinata found next disturbed her more deeply.
In the lower deck's cargo hold, dozens of large glass containers lined the room. Inside were children—some alive, others motionless. The purpose of these experiments was unclear, but the devastation left behind told her enough. Few could be saved.
Kankuro and Gaara were busy assessing the battlefield, while Temari gathered surviving captives for interrogation. When Hinata tried to follow, Temari glared at her.
"We've turned a blind eye to your interference," she said sharply. "But don't expect to learn any more than this. It ends here."
Hinata lowered her head, her expression crestfallen. "I understand…"
Temari turned away, sighing in relief. Good. I thought she'd cling to me again.
But Hinata knew when to stop. Press too hard, and Temari's suspicion would grow.
Besides, when it came to uncovering secrets… eavesdropping was easy.
Reading lips was something I mastered long ago, Hinata thought. When combined with the Byakugan, no information escapes me.
She quietly activated her Byakugan again. The veins around her eyes became pronounced, giving her normally gentle features a striking intensity—her angelic face now carrying a quiet authority.
Through the ship's walls, she observed Temari interrogating the prisoners one by one. The process was brutal but effective. Temari wasn't one for empty threats; if someone refused to cooperate, she didn't hesitate to break them.
Eventually, one captive with a weak will cracked under pressure and began to talk.
The information spilled was fragmented, most of it useless—until one word stood out.
Hinata's eyes widened. Temari's, too.
Both women, one by interrogation and the other by silent observation, reached the same realization at the same time.
The Gelel Stone.
Hinata's heart skipped a beat.
A major discovery!