124. Group Training

"Today, Teams 7, 8, and 10 will train together—sparring and helping each other with their practice. You nine are already classmates, so think of this as school training with partners."

Asuma and Kakashi stood side by side before their students. Being part of the production team, usual D-rank missions were crossed off their list. Hinata had no interest in wasting her or her staff's time on trash cleanup missions, so the Third Hokage agreed to this quiet arrangement.

Instead, Hinata's team gained authority to assign missions above C-rank, effectively adding a bit of extra income to Konoha's mission revenues. After all, D-rank rewards were far less valuable than C-rank.

"Oh! Finally, no more acting today! Great! Who wants to be my opponent?!"

Naruto excitedly wiggled his wrists. After so long pretending to be a girl, he felt like he might lose his mind.

"Hmph~ You say you defeated one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of Kirigakure, but I never saw it myself! Fine! I'll be your opponent this time!"

The skeptical Inuzuka Kiba was eager. Naruto had indeed improved a lot—transformation and shadow clones and all—but his actual fighting strength was still unproven. Kiba hadn't even joined the troupe when Naruto first transformed into the Nine-Tails, so disbelief was natural.

"Shut up! Today's training isn't about combat. From now on, you must listen to me, no objections."

Stepping forward smoothly, Hinata turned and said, "Understood?"

"Ugh... it's Hinata again..."

Naruto and Kiba's eagerness immediately faded, their eyes no longer locking in challenge. As leader of Hinata's team, she certainly had the authority to command.

Besides...

"A B-rank ninjutsu training mission? This girl really goes all out."

Kurenai sat in the corridor rubbing her forehead with a helpless sigh. Today's mission was also Hinata's order. As team leader, Hinata was clear on asserting her authority—just gathering all the Genin from Teams 7, 8, and 10 was enough to show their group's presence.

"Well, consider ourselves lucky to have such a reliable disciple."

Kakashi yawned lazily, holding a little yellow book. His attitude was relaxed. Since Hinata had her ideas, he'd just let her handle it. As a teacher, if he couldn't guide the learning, at least he could prepare to clean up the aftermath.

"Hmm, and with the Chūnin Exams approaching, I guess these kids have heard about it already."

Asuma nodded, allowing Hinata to assign the training tasks. Though he wasn't as laid back as Kakashi, he also knew growth didn't require too much pressure. If questions arose, the kids could ask.

"Ah, yes... though I still worry a little about them."

Kurenai breathed out gently. As a soft-spoken woman with a natural nurturing aura, she tended to see her students as children.

Setting aside the three dozing Jonin, Hinata frowned and began issuing her training plan.

"Listen carefully. The Chūnin Exams are coming soon. Strictly speaking, newly graduated Genin aren't qualified to take the exam, but because of that, I want our three teams all to participate. At least three people should pass this time."

The Byakugan girl spoke gracefully, her words making others instinctively listen closely.

"To boost our influence, it's the best strategy... even if it's tough to admit."

Shikamaru thought about protesting but gave up, knowing Hinata was right.

Hinata's team had gained favor in Konoha due to their economic developments, but their members were still ninja first, mostly heirs of great clans. Giving up their ninja identity was impossible.

Therefore, they needed to improve their strength. Passing the Chūnin Exams as newly graduated Genin would earn external recognition and more respect.

"So we train together and strategize. That way, if we meet in the exams, we'll have better countermeasures."

Shino, the reasoning expert, loyally supported Hinata's decision and nodded approvingly. Hinata then raised her hand, her tone sharpening:

"So... now I'll show you my strongest ultimate technique."

"Huh?!"

Surprised and curious, everyone watched as Hinata inhaled deeply. Her bangs and small cloak fluttered with chakra flow, and intense orange flames burst from her raised right hand with a crackling roar. With a sudden swing, fiery snakes leapt from her palm, engulfing the air several meters around her. Even the grass beneath browned instantly from the heat.

Nantō Enshōken: Orochi Pheasant (Seven Sacred Flame Killing Fist — Great Serpent Sweep).

Kakashi, sitting in the corridor, lifted his headband and analyzed the technique intensely. As a Copy Ninja, he loved collecting jutsu, earning him his title.

"Amazing taijutsu. Though aided by those special gauntlets, this power and the flexibility without hand seals already qualify it as an A-rank ninjutsu."

Asuma also watched intently. Any ninja reaching Jonin level would notice such a powerful, hand-seal-free technique.

Asuma also watched Hinata's displayed technique intently. In fact, any ninja who had reached the Jonin level would pay close attention to a jutsu that required no hand seals and carried such destructive power.

"Indeed. For Jonin-level ninja to complete the transformation of chakra nature, it's not just mastery over chakra type required, but also the meridians and physical body must be strong enough to withstand such changes. So… do these three kids really all reach that level?"

Kurenai narrowed her eyes slightly. As a genjutsu specialist, she knew well the innate weakness of female ninja often lay in physical strength. That's why many of them preferred genjutsu and ninjutsu. Someone like Tsunade, with strength surpassing many male ninja, was essentially a one-of-a-kind in the entire shinobi world right now. Hinata's domineering taijutsu was truly impressive and earned Kurenai's respect.

"Hey, isn't this a bit over the top? This kind of ninjutsu…"

Inuzuka Kiba's teeth chattered nervously as he wiped sweat from his forehead. Based on the sensory feedback from his nose, the "Orochi Nagi" technique Hinata just unleashed could easily turn him and Akamaru into red-cooked dog meat in one fell swoop. What was most terrifying was that it had no visible hand signs or preparation — such an instantaneous, lethal ninjutsu was the most dreaded kind.

"Incredible. You three really went too far, huh? No way. I'm not signing up for this Chunin exam."

Compared to Kiba, Shikamaru was straightforward and openly declared his intention to forfeit. But Hinata's cold glare cut him off sharply.

"I heard Shikamaru's mom still doesn't know who plays Lady Higan, right?"

"Uh…"

Sweat broke out on Shikamaru's face. That was true — his mother still thought he was just an accountant in the production crew. If she ever found out that he was the one playing Lady Higan… well, she might at least want to bury him neck-deep.

"But… Hinata, even if you say that, I don't think we're even qualified to spar against you. Once you unleash that ninjutsu, we're pretty much guaranteed to be severely injured, aren't we?"

Ino forced a smile, trying her best to keep her voice from trembling, though the disappointment in her eyes was obvious. As a classmate, she had never felt like she was being left behind by much. But judging from the technique Hinata just used it was clear Hinata could defeat her without breaking a sweat.

"To be clear, this is the kind of special training I'll be doing. Shikamaru, you'll use your Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique) to restrain me. I'll work on breaking free using chakra control alone. That way, I'll train my full-body chakra manipulation, and you can sharpen your technique with the shadow jutsu."

Of course, Hinata wasn't going to use Orochi Nagi on her teammates. Her goal was to master total-body chakra control. After all, the Byakugan was an incredibly powerful kekkei genkai, and it would be a waste not to develop its potential.

If you restrict physical movement, your focus naturally shifts inward—to chakra. Just like how people who lose one sense often find their others become sharper.

"Huh? That's it?"

Shikamaru looked at her, surprised and clearly not thrilled. "What kind of training is that? You're already strong. My Shadow Imitation just needs to catch the enemy and the battle's over. This feels pointless."

"Oh, is that so? What if? we imagine this: You're in a battle without teammates nearby, and your opponent is overwhelmingly stronger. You can only rely on Kagemane no Jutsu to restrain them while you wait for backup—or you die. In that situation, would you still say there's no need to master it?"

Hinata gave a faint smirk, and Shikamaru instinctively opened his mouth to argue. But the twitch at his temple made it clear—he was already imagining that exact scenario. And in that situation, he really would have no option but to stall with his jutsu.

"All right! Shikamaru's training with me. Kiba and Chōji will work with Naruto. Sakura and Ino, you'll support Sasuke's training. Shino, you've got the hardest task—I need you to closely monitor everyone's chakra levels. If someone's burning out, notify us right away."

"Let's stay sharp! This is a rare chance for focused ninjutsu training!"

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Author Notes:

(PS1: Cue the music: "Unity is Strength~")

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