Tens of meters.
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Sakura's scream echoed faintly above the desert wind, fading as the plane soared higher.
Her face turned pale, teeth chattering, and her hands trembled uncontrollably. She wasn't afraid of heights—or so she'd thought. But this? This was something else entirely.
It took her a moment to remember why Hinata had sent her up there in the first place. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed the binoculars hanging from her neck and forced herself to focus.
From high above, the world spread out beneath her—vast and clear. Within moments, she spotted something moving.
"There!" she shouted, hurling an explosive tag in that direction. The detonation flashed below, marking the target's position.
On the ground, Hinata saw the explosion and nodded, lowering the plane carefully back to earth.
When Sakura landed, her legs wobbled like jelly. She could barely stand, but relief washed over her face. "Over there! I saw it—it's playing near that rock!"
Without hesitation, Hinata activated her Ten-Tails Chakra Mode again. Her body glowed with golden light, and she vanished in a blur of speed.
For a brief instant, Naruto's pupils flickered—his blue eyes momentarily morphing into feral beast-like slits—before returning to normal, unnoticed by anyone but Hinata.
Within seconds, she reappeared, holding the ferret gently but firmly by the scruff.
"That's it," Hinata said calmly. "It matches the one on the mission sheet perfectly."
Naruto grinned. "Nice! So… when do we go see Gaara?"
"After we deliver this little one," Hinata replied, using her paper manipulation to craft a small cage around the ferret. "The mission comes first. Once it's complete, we'll go."
Naruto pouted but nodded. "Fine, fine. Mission first."
Sakura, still pale from the flight, muttered weakly, "Please… no more flying."
Hinata smiled faintly as they resumed their journey.
…
Their client turned out to be a small traveling caravan—traders who moved from country to country, selling goods along the way.
There was something… unusual about them. Their chakra signatures were faint yet disciplined, suggesting they were more than simple merchants. But Hinata didn't pry.
A ninja's duty was to complete the mission, not to question the client. Interfering in matters beyond the commission was the mark of a rogue or mercenary shinobi—and Hinata was neither.
After confirming the ferret's safe return and completing the handover, Hinata immediately led Naruto and Sakura toward the direction of Gaara and his siblings.
By the time they caught up, the sun had begun to set, casting long shadows across the desert.
"It's you!" Temari's eyes widened as Hinata and the others descended from the massive origami jet plane. She was momentarily speechless, her fan hand frozen midair.
"What do you want?!" Kankuro demanded, lowering his puppet from his back, ready for battle. "So you really were after us!"
"No, no, no! You've got it wrong!" Sakura waved her hands frantically. "Naruto just wanted to see Gaara! It's not an attack or anything—please don't misunderstand!"
As the tension eased slightly, the two figures at the center of the storm—Naruto and Gaara—walked toward each other. Neither said a word at first; they simply stared, measuring one another in silence.
Finally, Naruto spoke quietly. "Are we… really friends? Can I call you that?"
Gaara paused for a moment, then replied, his tone calm but stiff. "If you don't mind… then yes."
His face was expressionless as always, but in truth, he wasn't used to showing anything else.
Naruto's face broke into a grin as he extended his hand. Gaara hesitated, then took it. Their handshake was simple, but the bond between them—two Jinchuriki who had fought, suffered, and grown—was something only they could truly understand.
…
"Excuse me," Hinata's gentle voice broke through the quiet. "Are those your people over there? It looks like someone's attacking us."
Temari froze, turning toward Hinata. Her eyes instinctively flicked to the girl's pale, glowing Byakugan before exchanging a tense look with Kankuro.
"Gaara! Let's go!" Temari said quickly, urgency in her tone. "Our mission takes priority!"
Understanding, Gaara gave Naruto a final nod. "We'll talk again soon," he said.
With that, the Sand siblings turned and hurried away across the dunes.
…
"Uh… what now?" Sakura asked, hesitating. "Should we head back?"
Hinata turned toward Naruto instead. "Naruto, what do you think?"
That simple question caught Sakura off guard. Why's she asking him? she thought. Hinata's the Chunin, the team leader. Shouldn't she be the one giving orders?
Was Hinata just indulging Naruto's impulsiveness? Or did she have some deeper reason for it?
Naruto blinked, surprised by being put in charge. "Let's go take a look," he said decisively. "If they need help, we'll lend a hand. If not, we'll stay out of it."
He grinned, eyes burning with determination. Rules and hierarchy meant little to Naruto—when it came to friends, he followed his heart.
"Do as Naruto says," Hinata said softly, her tone final.
Sakura could only nod, bewildered but compliant.
Finding a ferret was just a C-rank mission anyway, she thought. What difference does it make?
Hinata, however, knew the deeper reasoning. According to Tsunade's promotion standards, low-level missions barely contributed toward Jonin qualification. If she wanted to rise, she needed missions that could be upgraded in classification—B-rank and above.
Helping the Sand siblings against foreign enemies would qualify perfectly.
Of course, Sakura had no idea.
…
"Gaara and the others are in trouble," Hinata suddenly said, though the faint smile on her lips told another story. In truth, Gaara had already overpowered his attackers. But if she said they were in trouble, Naruto would rush in without hesitation.
And that was exactly what she needed.
"Gaara's in trouble?!" Naruto shouted, his expression fierce as he darted forward. "Hang on, Gaara!"
Just as Hinata expected.
Gaara, in the middle of releasing a massive terrain-shifting jutsu, paused when he heard Naruto's voice. The momentary hesitation disrupted his focus, allowing one of the trapped enemies to break free and launch a counterattack.
By the time Sakura and Hinata arrived, the area was in chaos. It was dark, visibility low, and the air thick with dust and chakra. Dozens of Naruto's shadow clones were engaged in fierce combat with hulking enemies, while others worked to pull injured Sand shinobi from debris.
Without wasting a second, Hinata dashed into battle. Her movements were smooth and precise—her Gentle Fist struck pressure points with surgical accuracy, disabling one enemy instantly.
Sakura, catching her breath, joined in with a chakra-enhanced punch, detonating an explosive tag mid-strike to take out another.
Hinata's lips curved into a faint smile. Perfect.
This was exactly what she needed—evidence that they had "assisted allied Sand shinobi in repelling foreign attackers." When written in her mission report, it would automatically qualify as a B-rank achievement.
And if, for some reason, Tsunade tried to downplay it, Hinata already had a plan.
If the Hokage doesn't upgrade it, I'll just make a paper effigy with her name on it and hammer it a thousand times every day. No commission, no mercy, she thought with quiet mischief.
…
Suddenly, Hinata's head snapped toward the horizon.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A rapid series of cannon blasts echoed from the distance. Fiery shells streaked through the night sky, leaving trails of red light. Her Byakugan immediately locked onto them. Each shell pulsed with chakra—dense, volatile energy.
"Buzz…"
Extending her hand, Hinata sent out invisible waves of chakra. Through her wireless puppet control technique, she seized the projectiles midair. Entering her Ten-Tails Chakra Mode, her control expanded exponentially.
The cannonballs froze in place—then reversed course.
BOOM!
A tremendous explosion erupted over the sea, flames painting the night sky crimson.
"What the—?!" Naruto gasped, staring at the inferno. "What was that?!"
"I've never seen a ship like that before…" muttered one of the wounded Sand shinobi, shielding his eyes from the glare.
The second barrage came. Once again, Hinata intercepted it and sent it back. The fiery retaliation slammed into a massive steel vessel offshore. Unlike traditional wooden ships, this one was made of iron—mechanical, industrial, alien.
Under the heavy bombardment, the entire ship tilted, smoke billowing from its engines.
Gaara's eyes shifted to Hinata, who stood bathed in the light of the explosions. He could feel it clearly this time—Shukaku's unease, its agitation toward her power.
That pure white aura… that cloak adorned with nine black tomoe.
What is she? he wondered silently.
Hinata, unaware of Gaara's scrutiny, focused on the ship. Her expression sharpened.
"A steamship…?" she whispered.