Escort missions were never truly peaceful. Wealthy employers might appear calm and confident, but they weren't fools. If they were willing to pay a high price to hire ninja protection, it meant there was danger lurking — the kind that ordinary people couldn't handle.
And that danger soon appeared.
Three days into their voyage, as the steamship stopped at an unfamiliar port outside the Land of Wind for supplies, trouble struck.
The moment the attack began, the so-called "boss," the sailors, and even the crew all hid away, leaving Hinata alone to face the threat.
…
"Seriously?"
A sneering voice echoed across the deck. "In this day and age, there are still idiots like you? A samurai with no chakra taking on a mission like this? That's hilarious!"
A group of rogue ninja stood in front of her, their leader laughing so hard his shoulders shook.
"When I saw someone wielding five swords, I thought we'd found a real monster. Turns out it's just some muscle-bound girl with no chakra. What a joke."
Hinata stood among the shattered remains of cargo containers, dust rising around her. She rolled her shoulders, tilted her head left and right until her neck cracked, then glanced at her chipped blade.
She hesitated briefly, then tightened her grip and assumed her stance once more.
…
"Didn't I tell you? It's useless!" the rogue ninja taunted, smirking confidently.
His skin gleamed with a stony sheen — a sign of Earth Release: Hardened Defense, a technique that rendered his entire body nearly impervious to physical attacks. Each time Hinata's sword struck him, only the blade suffered damage.
But what he didn't notice was Hinata's pale eyes flickering faintly beneath her colored contacts — the faint trace of her Byakugan at work.
For a few seconds, she glimpsed the enemy's movements ahead of time — his intent, his next strike — and sidestepped his punch effortlessly, her motions as light as wind.
The man grunted, annoyed. His defense was nearly perfect, but the jutsu made him sluggish. Hinata capitalized on that flaw instantly.
Two stabs to the eyes. One to the throat. One to the heart. The final thrust — aimed straight for the kill.
But instead of a dying scream, there was only the grating sound of metal meeting stone. Sparks flew.
The rogue ninja grinned, eyes tightly shut. "You're wasting your time again! How many times do I have to tell you? You can't cut through this body!"
Before he could gloat any further, Hinata moved again. Taking advantage of his closed eyes, she swung her leg sharply upward — landing a brutal kick to the one place no man could harden with Earth Release.
Thud!
The man's breath caught in his throat. His face turned red, then green. His mouth opened in silent agony.
Before he could recover, Hinata straightened up with icy calm, dusting off her sleeve.
"You bitch!!"
The rogue ninja, now enraged, swung a wild punch. Hinata had already seen it coming. She twisted aside with fluid grace, but the force of the blow still shattered the two swords she had crossed defensively before her.
"You fool!" the man roared. "Do you think I can't defend against that? I'm a ninja — not some civilian! Especially one skilled in Earth Release! You'll never break my defense!"
Hinata glanced down at the broken blade in her hand, then looked up at him. Her expression was calm, almost analytical.
"You're right," she said softly. "A sword like this lacks the hardness and sharpness to pierce you."
He smirked, mistaking her words for surrender. "Ha! So you finally admit it? Good girl. Run along now — we'll be taking the ship and your rich employer. Consider it mercy that I'll let you live."
Hinata's gaze sharpened.
"Nothing in this world is absolute," she said, lowering her stance. "There's no such thing as an unbreakable defense — only an attack that isn't strong enough."
She tossed aside her damaged sword — and then, one by one, threw away the remaining three.
The rogue ninja let out a mocking laugh. "What kind of samurai throws away her blades? Trying to surrender in style, are you? Fine — I'll send you off with a smile."
But Hinata didn't answer.
Her body leaned forward slightly, knees bent, arms poised — a stance built purely for speed and precision. Her hands curved like blades themselves, fingers tightened into sharp hand-chops.
…
Not far away, the captured boss and sailors cowered on deck, guarded by the rogue ninja's companions. Watching the samurai girl stand alone before the enemy, the boss's face twisted with despair.
Why did I even hire her? he thought bitterly. A samurai without chakra — what a joke. I should've spent more and hired real ninja!
He lowered his head and sighed heavily.
But then, a blur of movement caught his eye.
Hinata moved.
In an instant, her body vanished from sight, reappearing in front of the rogue ninja faster than the eye could follow.
"So fast!" the man gasped, shocked. He couldn't believe it — this girl with no chakra moved faster than most ninja he'd faced.
But he smirked a moment later. "Speed won't save you. You still can't pierce my defense!"
The man was confident — a special jōnin skilled in Earth Release. His defense was impenetrable, his offense overwhelming. Only his speed was lacking — but that, he believed, wouldn't matter.
The two clashed.
Hinata ducked beneath his swing, her eyes glowing faintly as she twisted sideways — and then brought her hand down in a sharp, full-force chop to his elbow joint.
*Crack!
Her strike connected.
A dull crack echoed.
"UHGG!!!"
A strangled roar tore from the rogue ninja's throat as his arm twisted unnaturally, bone shattering under the impact.
Rage clouded his mind. He swung with his remaining arm, but Hinata was already gone. She bent low, flipped backward, and raised both legs high — delivering a perfectly timed spinning kick to the side of his head.
The blow landed like thunder.
The rogue ninja's world spun. He staggered, then collapsed heavily to the deck, his hardened skin flickering as his chakra control faltered.
Hinata didn't pause. Before he could rise, she stepped forward and brought her hand down once more — this time on his knee.
*Crack!
"AAHHHH!!!!"
The sound was sharp, final. The man screamed.
"..."
Everyone — even the hidden sailors — stared in stunned silence.
Hinata stood over the fallen rogue ninja, her breath steady.
Every strike she delivered had been precise — targeted at joints, the weak points of the human body. Breaking fingers, dislocating wrists, shattering shoulders, ankles, and knees — she didn't rely on external damage. Her strikes disrupted the internal structure itself.
And with her Byakugan, she saw it all — bones, muscles, chakra flow — perfectly clear and perfectly vulnerable.
…
"DAMN IT!" the rogue ninja roared, fury twisting his face.
Hinata didn't flinch. Her expression remained calm and unreadable as her hands blurred into motion — slicing, chopping, and striking in rapid succession. Her movements were so fast that her arms became afterimages, the air itself whistling with every blow.
Each hand strike slammed into the rogue ninja's hardened skull with precise rhythm. His Earth Release defense held, but the sheer impact rattled his brain. His body staggered, his eyes unfocused, and his words slurred incoherently.
Seeing their leader falter, the rogue ninja's subordinates panicked. They dropped what they were doing and charged toward Hinata in desperation.
Hinata caught the motion in the corner of her eye. Without turning her head, she increased her attack's tempo, targeting the rogue ninja's leader head, hands, and elbows with relentless precision. Her arms became a blur — her strikes indistinguishable from one another.
In one second, his men leaped off the ship.
In two seconds, they were halfway across the deck.
In three seconds, they were almost upon her.
But it was too late.
The rogue ninja leader's body swayed as his hardened jutsu flickered. The concussion from Hinata's repeated blows had finally broken his focus. His Earth Release defense vanished.
Hinata's next hand chop struck true — smashing through his skull with a wet crack, splitting it open like a watermelon.
Without wasting a breath, Hinata flipped backward several times, retreating to where her swords lay scattered across the deck.
She bit down on one blade with her teeth, clamped another between her neck and shoulder, bent her leg to secure one at her knee, and gripped two more in her hands.
Then she surged forward.
Swish—!
What followed was quick and merciless. By the time the echo of clashing metal faded, every last rogue ninja lay dead on the deck — not a single one left breathing.
…
Though the battle had ended, Hinata stood quietly amid the carnage, her breathing steady. She glanced at the chipped blades lying beside her and smiled faintly.
Even without a famous sword, her hands were sharper than steel.
This battle had taught her something invaluable — that a sword wasn't merely a tool to wield, but an extension of the body itself. Her hands, her elbows, her knees, her legs — all could become blades.
A sword of flesh and will.
For Hinata, that realization alone made the mission worthwhile.
…
"Thank you, Lord Ninja!"
Hinata turned to face the trembling employer, her face perfectly calm. "I'm not a ninja," she corrected flatly. "I'm a samurai."
"Y-Yes, yes! Lord Samurai, thank you for saving us!" the boss said, bowing deeply, his grin nervous and obsequious.
"This was just a mission," Hinata replied curtly. "No need for gratitude. But if you really want to thank me…" She pointed to the five battered blades on the deck. "Repair these for me. Or better yet, buy me five new ones."
The boss froze, his smile stiffening.
Five new swords? Good blades weren't cheap — and his company was already in financial ruin. But under Hinata's steady gaze, he could only nod weakly.