Meanwhile, back in Konoha, the streets west of the village were filled with noise and irritation.
"Damn it! You two drunk idiots — I just cleaned this street!"
Tayuya's furious voice echoed as she yelled at two staggering villagers.
It wasn't easy keeping the streets clean, and within seconds, these fools had vomited all over her freshly scrubbed path.
Given her current status, she wasn't allowed to physically attack civilians — but that didn't mean she couldn't give them a verbal beating.
And when it came to arguing, Tayuya never lost.
After a long day of exhausting work, her back ached, her waist throbbed, and her patience was gone. The ANBU guards assigned to monitor her were already waiting to escort her back to prison — her routine for the past few months.
But today was different.
Another masked operative arrived — clearly of higher rank — and dismissed the guards, taking over her supervision personally.
To Tayuya's surprise, the newcomer even treated her to fried noodles.
After months of tasteless prison meals, the aroma alone nearly brought her to tears. She devoured two bowls in minutes.
As she wiped her mouth, she frowned suspiciously. "What's this about? Don't tell me this is my last meal? If it is, fine — but at least give me another serving first!"
The ANBU operative let out a quiet laugh and reached up to remove her animal mask.
Pure white eyes gleamed beneath it.
Hinata.
Still as calm and graceful as ever — but this time, dressed in black armor and the mask of an elite assassin.
"!!"
Tayuya froze, the color draining from her face.
Two people she would never forget were Shikamaru, who once used her as bait, and Hinata, who captured her alive and defeated Kimimaro.
She could yell at Shikamaru without hesitation — but Hinata?
No. She didn't dare.
…
Thinking back to Kimimaro's corpse — the lifeless body she had once seen with her own eyes — Tayuya couldn't help but feel uneasy. It was as if the fear she once held for Kimimaro had now transferred entirely onto Hinata.
Hinata quietly poured a cup of tea for Tayuya and ordered another plate of fried noodles for her.
Tayuya quickly raised her hand in refusal. "I can't eat anymore. Two plates are my limit. Since it's not my last meal, I don't need to stuff myself to death."
Hinata gave a small nod. She didn't press the matter further and instead moved straight to her purpose.
"Sound-based ninjutsu," Hinata said calmly.
Tayuya blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Sound Ninja Techniques?"
Hinata nodded again and placed a sheet of paper and a pen on the table between them. "Write down everything you know — anything you've heard, seen, or learned that's connected to sound techniques."
Tayuya leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "And what if I don't?"
Hinata's expression didn't change. "I suggest that you cooperate. It'll be less painful for you. In exchange, I can offer reasonable conditions — food, lodging, basic comforts. Nothing excessive."
The two locked eyes for a long, tense moment. Eventually, Tayuya sighed, picked up the pen, and began to write.
After finishing the heading, Sound Ninja Techniques, she glanced at Hinata and said, "Fine, but I have one request."
Hinata tilted her head slightly. "Go on."
"I want to live next door to Nara Shikamaru," Tayuya said with a smirk. "He's been hiding from me for months. I'm going to make him pay."
Hinata paused, considering it, then nodded. "Alright. I can arrange that."
Tayuya looked surprised but didn't say anything else.
Hinata's tone turned firm. "I'll ask one last time — is there anything incomplete or inaccurate in what you wrote? I'll verify your account with Jirobo. If your answers differ…"
The meaning behind her words was clear.
Tayuya's expression darkened. Without another word, she picked up the pen again, made two corrections, and added four more lines of detail.
Only after Hinata left did Tayuya collapse onto the table, completely drained.
…
Hinata did, indeed, question Jirobo afterward — and as it turned out, their statements matched almost perfectly.
With her task complete, Hinata quietly left the village again, leaving the arrangements for Tayuya and Jirobo's accommodations to be handled by her families. There was no need for her to interfere further.
…
Sound — it was a unique and powerful force.
Used skillfully, it could disrupt hearing, disorient the senses, and break an enemy's focus in battle.
Hinata remembered reading about a technique called the Lion's Roar in her past life — a technique that weaponized sound itself to attack and intimidate opponents.
She had already experimented with scent-based interference before, crafting special stimulants that could overwhelm a ninja's sense of smell. But smell alone wasn't enough. It was time to move on to hearing — another vital sense that could decide life or death in a fight.
The outcome of any battle could be broken down into two paths:
First, strengthen yourself — if your power is overwhelming, victory is natural.
Second, weaken your opponent — disrupt their senses, break their rhythm, and destroy their composure.
With this in mind, Hinata began considering new ways to ambush and eliminate two Akatsuki members within the narrow window of time before their reinforcements arrived.
To do that, she would target the five senses — and hearing was her next weapon.
Infrasound… ultrasonic vibration… sound pressure...
Hinata's mind raced as she studied the notes she had extracted from Tayuya and Jirobo. The principles of sound-based ninjutsu were profound, and the potential applications were endless.
Even Orochimaru, for all his brilliance, had barely scratched the surface. In his pursuit of immortality, he had experimented with countless scientific methods, discovering new pathways for chakra manipulation — but even the Sound Ninja techniques he developed were still in their conceptual stage.
That was fine. For Hinata, the foundation was all she needed.
From those fragments, she could create something new — a refined, perfected Lion's Roar that would make even sound itself her weapon.
…
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Not a single clue," Obito growled, snapping a brittle branch in irritation. "And when she finally shows up, it's just another shadow clone — a decoy."
Nagato, controlling the Deva Path, replied coldly, "There's no other choice. At this rate, we may have to target her family. It's risky — could lead to mutual destruction — but at least it'll draw her out."
Obito frowned. "You're right. Hesitation won't get us anywhere. She's hiding because she's still adjusting to the Ten-Tails. Once she fully masters it, the situation will become far worse for us."
For once, both Obito and Nagato were in agreement. They decided to mobilize all of Akatsuki's forces to attack Konoha, destroy the Hyuga Clan, and force Hinata to appear.
But before they could act, a voice rose from beneath the earth.
"Please, calm down."
Black Zetsu emerged from the shadows, its yellow eyes glinting.
Nagato looked displeased by the interruption. Obito's gaze, however, narrowed sharply. He knew Zetsu was more than just an observer — it was a remnant of Madara's will, the one being whose words he could not completely ignore.
"You're both overlooking something," Zetsu said smoothly. "The Ten-Tails willingly entered Hinata's body. That means she's beneficial to it. Her chakra isn't like anyone else's — it can regenerate the Ten-Tails itself."
Obito and Nagato exchanged uncertain glances.
Zetsu continued, its tone coaxing, persuasive. "Think about it. Why are you in such a rush to reclaim the Ten-Tails? Wouldn't it be better to let her act as its vessel — to let the beast restore itself inside her?"
Nagato hesitated. Obito's expression darkened.
"But what if she manages to control it?" Obito asked.
Black Zetsu chuckled, its voice dripping with confidence. "Control it? Impossible. Without the Rinnegan, she has no means of suppressing the Ten-Tails. You have nothing to worry about."
Those words seemed to ease their doubts. After a brief exchange, Obito and Nagato agreed — they would wait.
Let the Ten-Tails grow stronger inside Hinata. Let it rebuild itself through her.
As Obito and the Six Paths of Pain disappeared into the Kamui dimension, Zetsu's smile widened.
"Perfect," it murmured softly. "Another path to Mother's resurrection has opened. Byakugan Princess… you are the ideal vessel."
…
Unaware of the schemes surrounding her, Hinata continued her work — refining, analyzing, and experimenting with sound-based ninjutsu.
Her notes filled with diagrams and calculations:
Frequency. Vibration. Resonance. Penetration. Destructive amplitude.
Every element had to be balanced perfectly.
Only then could her Lion's Roar truly shake the heavens.