Ino, now promoted to lady-in-waiting, tried her best to speak up, hoping to soothe the icy look on Hinata's face. Her voice made Hinata pause for a moment, then silently nod. Around them, the production crew all let out massive sighs of relief, as if granted a royal pardon, and quietly slipped out of Hinata's room to catch their breath.
"Seriously~ she nearly scared me to death. What's with her? This is already the third time today we've had to reshoot the same scene. Thank goodness I wasn't in that shot."
Inuzuka Kiba wiped the sweat from his forehead, clearly rattled. Being forced to reshoot repeatedly was never a pleasant experience.
"Who knows~? But she's definitely more of a handful than she used to be."
Shikamaru's words carried more weight than usual—clearly, even he was starting to feel annoyed. Being told to redo the same thing over and over while getting criticized each time wasn't just frustrating—it was demoralizing.
"Since this morning, I've felt like something's off with Hinata. It's subtle, but…"
Sakura clenched her hands anxiously, glancing back at the room Hinata was in. As a girl, she was naturally more attuned to such emotional nuances.
"Yeah. Can't say for sure, but one thing's obvious—Hinata's in a very bad mood today."
Ino crossed her arms, her tone unusually serious. Her words made everyone around them exchange glances. Even Asuma, who'd spent the day sweating in a monster costume, scratched the back of his head in defeat.
"That's not like her. Hinata's always calm and rational. She wouldn't reject a take for no reason. Which means… she genuinely thinks the scene Shikamaru and I did didn't meet her expectations."
Shino adjusted his sunglasses as he spoke. Despite being just as exhausted by the repeated shoots, his sense of ninja discipline perhaps surpassed even Shikamaru's.
"Come on… even so, when someone's in a bad emotional state, it makes them see everything through a negative lens. Kinda like how my mom gets sometimes."
Shikamaru wearily rubbed his shoulder, prompting Shino's sunglasses to flash subtly.
"You mean… Hinata's emotional state might be due to a physical reason?"
"Huh? No way! Are you guys seriously suggesting it's her… her, uh—Whoa!!"
Before Kiba could finish, a charged-up uppercut from a blushing Sakura sent him flying. The furious pinkette shouted, "Shut up!! You can't just talk about stuff like that in broad daylight!!"
As Kiba turned into a meteor across the sky, Naruto blinked and asked dumbly, "Huh? What was Kiba talking about? Something about "physical"? Is something wrong with Hinata?"
"If you don't wanna die, shut your mouth!!"
Ino, also blushing furiously, waved her fist at Naruto. "Seriously! Boys are all such bakas!"
Amid the chaotic scene, even the ever-composed Sasuke shook his head and finally spoke.
"Then I propose we stop forcing it for today. If everyone feels the scene is already acceptable, reshooting would just be a waste of energy and time."
His suggestion made everyone glance over in surprise. Sasuke's words, to put it plainly, meant ignoring Hinata's mood and proceeding with the completed footage.
"That might not be a good idea… she is the director, after all…"
Chōji mumbled through a mouthful of chips, visibly worried. Sasuke's proposal, while reasonable on the surface, hinted at defiance.
"This organization doesn't exist solely because of one person. Sometimes, an individual must yield to the group."
Sasuke's calm voice left the others in silence.
The question—individual or collective—was never easy to answer.
"As expected… that Uchiha-style arrogance still runs strong in Sasuke."
Watching the black-haired boy's image in the crystal orb, the Third Hokage shook his head. Beside him, Kakashi spoke quietly.
"But he's not entirely wrong. Hinata is brilliant and strong, but just as the team isn't built for her alone, all the burdens shouldn't fall on her alone either."
"Kakashi, as their teacher, your opinions carry the most weight. But I can feel it—my time is running out. We need to push the next generation, especially Hinata, to embrace higher responsibility."
The Third's face turned uncharacteristically grim. At sixty-nine years old, his strength and vitality had clearly begun to fade. In the ninja world, few ever reached such an age.
And so, as village leader, nurturing a capable successor became more urgent than money or military strength.
Resources can be replenished. But without leadership, only ruin awaits.
"I understand… but… I'm just worried about Hinata."
Kakashi lowered his gaze. He understood exactly what the Third meant.
If Hinata was to receive concentrated cultivation, her authority must be established among the next generation. That meant no one could defy her commands. Sasuke's suggestion, for example, was something that had to be stopped.
"Don't worry. I've already sent for those two disobedient students. If they still care to pay their respects before I die, they'll show up. By then, Konoha's changes will speak for themselves."
Removing his pipe, the Third Hokage's gaze softened once more.
"After this year's Chūnin Exams… it'll probably be time for me to step down."
(Hehe)
---
Crimson blood shimmered in the clear beaker, sparkling like a ruby under the light. Though it would soon cool, its brilliance was stunning. Hinata believed it looked so pure because its owner had been just as pure.
Gedo Senjutsu—a forbidden technique both terrifying and effective. It could merge any two biological entities into one hybrid that combined their strengths. The caster could also absorb the fused entity into their own body, gaining all of its abilities.
According to its description, the jutsu could even break the natural limits of the human body, offering rejuvenation and potentially even immortality. In terms of application, it might even outdo Orochimaru's Living Corpse Reincarnation.
But of course, it came with risks.
Different bodies naturally rejected each other. Even if forcibly fused, the result wasn't guaranteed to be stable. Under strain—especially during chakra-heavy combat—the fusion could fail catastrophically and lead to death.
Danzo, ever the ruthless operative, had conducted many experiments with this jutsu. In the end, its abyssal success rate had made him shelve it, which was why he warned Hinata not to use it on herself.
Hinata knew that perfectly well. As someone with knowledge from two worlds, she understood how terrifying gene rejection could be. Even in this world where chakra could do the impossible, there were still limits between incompatible bloodlines.
So before she confirmed a safe method, she would never test this on herself—or on Haku's body.
She sliced off a small piece of the First Hokage's left ear and dropped it into the beaker of Haku's blood. If not full fusion, then partial components would have to suffice.
'Now… let's see what secrets lie within the body of the First Hokage, said to be the strongest shinobi of all time.'
Muttering to herself, Hinata activated her Byakugan and began forming seals with practiced hands. Gedo Senjutsu activated with her chakra, and the mixture in the beaker began to tremble. It felt like two dormant beasts had suddenly awakened, then began merging rapidly.
But what she saw next made her frown.
If it were true fusion, there should've been give and take from both parts. Instead, the First Hokage's flesh soaked up Haku's blood like a sponge and began expanding rapidly, sprouts erupting from the sample like a germinating bean. Even after she cut off her chakra supply, the flesh continued growing as if it had its own will.
'Tch… As expected from the domineering First Hokage.'
Realizing what was happening, Hinata ignited chakra flames in her palm and thrust her hand into the beaker. The tissue sizzled and screeched like a living bug, only ceasing after several long minutes and finally turning to ash.
Even though it was a small experiment, it had already told her much.
There was no doubt—the First Hokage's Sage Body was overwhelmingly dominant. His cells could completely suppress and devour all others. Even though Haku's blood carried the rare Ice Release kekkei genkai, it stood no chance. There was no fusion—only consumption.
It mirrored what the original story had shown: when Danzo lost control of his chakra, the cells in his right arm began consuming his entire body. Had he not severed the arm in time, he would've been wholly devoured.
This meant that unless the other cell source could match the First's dominance, fusion would never happen—it would just be feeding his cells.
It was like trying to mix two paints: unless both are balanced, one will overpower the other and ruin the blend.