The bloody storm of the Uchiha massacre night gradually stilled on the surface of Konoha with the dawn, leaving only undercurrents of gossip and an official notice short on details.
For Hinata, however, the greatest gain that night was not a sigh at fate's caprice, but the heart-racing number in her System account.
She sat cross-legged in her quiet room.
'Over ten thousand points… enough for plenty of treasures I could only stare at before.'
'Ninja Academy life is about to settle into its routine; I need to advance faster. Foundation Establishment is the true first step on the immortal path, and I must schedule it as soon as possible.'
Without hesitation she turned first to the Cultivation Technique section.
Basic Qi Introduction Art (Qi Refining Chapter): 3,000 points.
'Exchange!'
A flash of light, and vast, deeper Spiritual Qi circulation routes and acupoint-forcing methods flooded her Sea of Consciousness.
Merely digesting them, she felt the speed of her internal Spiritual Qi increase by a faint sliver.
A technique is the Foundation, but resources are equally indispensable. She shifted to the Medicinal Pill section.
low-grade qi gathering pills ×10: assists in condensing Spiritual Qi, accelerates Qi Refining stage cultivation. 1,000 points.
Spirit-Cleansing Solution ×5: washes Impurities from Spiritual Qi, raises purity. 1,500 points.
'Exchange!'
In an instant an old jade vial and a crystal flask of sapphire liquid appeared in her hands; their rich Spiritual Qi could be sensed even through the containers.
Finally, a suitable weapon.
Though she sought longevity, necessary means of self-protection could never be absent.
The Talismans and Formation Plates exchanged on the night of the massacre were one-use items; she needed lasting power.
Green-Spirit Pendant (low-grade Magical Artifact): passively gathers surrounding Spiritual Qi, slightly speeds cultivation; contains three Green-Spirit Shield Spells that auto-trigger on attack, able to block a full-strength Foundation Establishment strike three times; recharges automatically. 4,000 points.
'Exchange.'
A palm-sized jade of translucent emerald, warm to the touch and carved with arcane cloud-patterns, landed in her hand.
She immediately dripped blood to bind it and hung it at her waist.
At once a cool, gentle aura spread outward, raising the local Spiritual Qi density and smoothing the flow of her internal power.
'Nice item.'
In a short while the ten-thousand-plus points had flowed away like water; the remainder she kept in reserve.
Hinata felt not the slightest regret—only an unprecedented sense of fullness.
Technique, pills, artifact—everything was in place; her immortal path could finally floor the accelerator and start its mad dash!
The days that followed became highly regular; the Village no longer pressed down on her, and she felt as though a weight had lifted.
By day she remained the silent, slightly introverted Hyuga Miss of Ninja Academy.
She watched Naruto noisily clamor for attention.
News of the Uchiha massacre had long since spread.
Sasuke didn't come for a week; when he returned his face was cold, sunk in hatred, training harder than ever.
Naruto's dead-last traits were already showing.
Sakura and Ino, seeing the cooler Sasuke, began to compete for him… To Hinata these childish schoolyard dramas looked like watching toddlers on a stage.
Only in theory class and basic shuriken-throw lessons did she reveal a hint of difference.
Exquisite control of Spiritual Qi let her calculate the optimal trajectory and force, hitting the bull's-eye almost every time with uncanny precision.
Still, she showed merely excellence, not Prodigy level—perfectly maintaining the standard expected of a main-house Miss, neither so outstanding as to invite suspicion nor so average as to be dismissed.
Back home, after laying a simple warning barrier, she devoted herself wholly to cultivation.
Running the complete Basic Qi Introduction Art doubled her Spiritual Qi absorption.
The pure medicinal power of the low-grade qi gathering pills drove her cultivation upward like fuel.
Spirit-Cleansing Solution repeatedly scoured her Meridians, refining her Spiritual Qi from thin gas toward hazy mist.
The Green-Spirit Pendant at her chest constantly gathered traces of Spiritual Qi; though weaker than active meditation, every bit counted and the effect was not small.
Under this almost lavish expenditure of resources and time advantage, her cultivation soared at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The Bottleneck at the Peak of Qi Refining Fourth Layer broke open with a soft hum only she could hear!
Qi Refining Fifth Layer—achieved.
Her total Spiritual Qi surged, and her control became finer.
She began to practice the Fire-Control Art, able to shape and direct flame to a degree.
She also mastered Basic Telekinesis, able to move small light objects—such as letting a brush drift through the air.
'Great—find a black sphere and I can cosplay a Truth-Seeking Orb.'
Though of little combat use for now, it showed her Spiritual Qi externalization and fine control had reached a new level.
Time flew in her frenzied cultivation.
Ninja Academy held a small physical test: crossing an obstacle-filled forest, speed and adaptability.
Most students looked a mess, stumbling and crashing.
When Hinata's turn came she remained calm.
The instant she stepped into the forest her footwork turned light.
Her strides seemed small yet carried her with startling speed; she flickered between the trees like a slippery fish.
Every trap—wooden stakes that shot out, hidden rope snares—was evaded with near-precognitive ease, her movements flowing like water without the slightest effort.
She didn't even use her full strength, only basic taijutsu footwork.
'So fast!'
'How did she do that? She looked like she wasn't even trying!'
'Is Hyuga taijutsu really that strong?'
Low exclamations rose from the sidelines.
Even the usually stern teacher's eyes flashed surprise.
They could see she relied not on raw speed but on an indescribable finesse of timing and body control.
Naruto, who'd been watching her, gaped, his orange goggles askew.
'Wow! That was amazing!'
Uchiha Sasuke also glanced at her, brows knitting as though this normally unremarkable Hyuga girl now carried something he couldn't read.
Hinata ignored them all, reached the finish line unruffled, breathing even, as if she'd done nothing of note.
She dipped her head slightly, hiding the flash of light in her eyes.
'Qi Refining Fifth Layer—feels good.'
That was her silent verdict.
'The Green-Spirit Pendant's nourishing effect is solid; my qi grows denser. At this rate, with pills, Sixth Layer won't be far off.'
Feeling the Spiritual Qi surging inside her—purer and more vital than any Chakra—she tasted the solid certainty of grasping her own destiny.