Hinata quietly set up the shadow concealment formation disk in her room, just in case.
"With the Breath Concealment Technique and this formation disk, as long as I'm not sensed up close by a Kage-level expert, it should be foolproof."
She looked inside herself; in her Dantian and Qi Sea, the spiritual power of the fifth level of Qi Refining was like a gentle stream.
"The Third's Telescope Technique mostly observes Chakra fluctuations and behavioral patterns. He knows nothing about the spiritual power System, so it shouldn't be difficult to hide from him. Unless it's something like a Heavenly Tribulation, he won't be able to discover me."
The night passed in silence, with only spiritual power circulating quietly through her Meridians, like night dew soaking into the earth, slowly and steadily accumulating strength.
The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
Hinata woke up early to perform her morning cultivation.
She began repeatedly refining her spiritual power and practicing fine control over it.
Wisps of Spiritual Qi were drawn into her body, tempered and purified, and merged into her Qi Sea.
Her Realm at the fifth level of Qi Refining was gradually stabilizing.
After finishing her cultivation, she washed up and had breakfast with the help of her maid, then prepared to head to the Ninja Academy.
"Hinata."
From behind her came the steady voice of her father, Hyuga Hiashi.
Hinata turned around.
"Father."
Hiashi looked at his daughter's calm demeanor, his gaze lingering on her pure white eyes for a moment before he spoke.
"Yesterday, the Third Hokage summoned me."
Hiashi's voice betrayed no emotion.
"He asked about your recent situation, especially your performance at school."
Hinata's heart stirred, but she showed just the right amount of confusion on her face.
"Grandpa Third? Why would he be paying attention to me?"
"Perhaps he values your talent, or perhaps it's routine attention toward the Hyuga Main Family."
Hiashi said indifferently.
"You only need to remember to be cautious in word and deed, focus on your cultivation, and do not fail the name of Hyuga, nor get involved in unnecessary trouble."
"Yes."
Hinata set off for school.
Leaving the clan compound, the morning sun shone down, draping Konoha in a pale golden glow.
The streets gradually became lively, with Ninjas hurrying along and villagers beginning their day's work.
"Look! It's Sasuke-kun!"
"So handsome!"
Just as she reached the classroom door, several young girls were gathered as usual, whispering about Uchiha Sasuke who had just sat down, their faces flushed with shyness.
Sasuke maintained a cold and arrogant "stay away" look, ignoring the noise around him while looking down at the book in his hands; however, his tightly pursed lips and the faint, hard-to-detect gloom deep in his eyes revealed that he wasn't as calm as he appeared on the surface.
Hinata walked to her seat and sat down without looking sideways.
This is the difference, even though both are people intentionally isolated by the Konoha Leadership.
One is the fox demon, the other is the evil Uchiha.
Although Sasuke occasionally receives strange looks, most people choose to ignore it, and he is widely popular with the girls at school.
Naruto, on the other hand, is unwelcome everywhere. Comparing people really is infuriating.
Maybe everyone has a filter for the cold-faced Sasuke, and he's strong too.
Hinata glanced at the indifferent Sasuke.
Looking at his face, Hinata remembered Sasuke being pressured by Itachi, crying and shouting, "Don't kill me."
Then looking at his current high-and-mighty coldness.
Hinata: Holding back laughter.
Suppressing her urge to laugh.
"Yo! Morning, everyone!"
A voice full of energy rang out as Naruto rushed into the classroom noisily, a smile on his face that was excessively bright, trying to attract everyone's attention.
However, most of the responses he got were indifference, and there were even a few gazes containing hidden disgust.
The most obvious was Sakura; her disgust was written all over her face.
Naruto's smile remained unchanged, but looking at Sasuke's popularity, he felt a bit of a gap in his heart.
Naruto ran to his seat and said something loudly to Kiba and Choji next to him, trying to fit in, but it seemed a bit clumsy and forced.
She withdrew her gaze and stopped looking toward Naruto.
The theory class was still dull, with the instructor on stage repeating the basics of Chakra nature transformation.
Half of Hinata's mind was listening to the lesson, while the other half sank into the System interface, browsing the mall and thinking about what to exchange next to enhance her foundation.
Attack methods were sufficient for now; life-saving and cultivation assistance had higher priority.
[Name: Small Spirit Gathering Formation Plate (Miniature)]
[Effect: Once set up, it can gather Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in a small area, increasing the concentration of Qi in the region and accelerating cultivation. The effect is influenced by the base concentration of Qi in the environment.]
[Exchange points: 2500]
"This is good."
Hinata was tempted.
Her cultivation speed was nowhere near what it would be in a true immortal cultivation paradise.
With this Spirit Gathering Formation, her cultivation efficiency should increase significantly.
Although 2500 points was a high price, it was worth the investment considering the long-term benefits.
The bell rang, and the classroom became noisy again.
"Sasuke-kun! Please accept this!"
Sakura Haruno, blushing, shoved a carefully wrapped bento onto Sasuke's desk and then quickly ran away.
Sasuke didn't even look, casually pushing the bento aside.
Naruto, sitting in the corner, shouted at Kiba.
"Hey! Kiba! Let's go to the training ground to practice this afternoon! I'll definitely beat you this time!"
"Hmph, talk to me after you've completely mastered the Clone Jutsu!"
Kiba, holding Akamaru, shot him down bluntly.
Naruto was clearly disappointed.
Hinata withdrew her gaze, picked up her water cup, and got up to walk to the drinking area outside the classroom. As she passed near Naruto's seat...
Her eyes seemed to inadvertently sweep over Naruto's hands, which were full of errors as he tried to form hand signs.
"The condensation of Chakra at the fingertips is too scattered; combine it with what I taught you last time."
A light, almost self-muttering whisper escaped her lips, the sound so soft that almost only she could hear it.
After saying that, she continued walking forward as if nothing had happened, got her water, and returned to her seat.
Naruto paused, then tried to form the hand signs again. This time, he subconsciously tried to concentrate that warm Chakra more at his fingertips... "Poof!"
A Clone appeared.
"Oh?! It worked!"
Naruto immediately became excited and started practicing even harder, while his mind also began to race.
Since no one in class was paying attention to him, then... A few days later, Hinata left her home, and as soon as she reached the Village, she saw a masterpiece for the ages.
Someone had put makeup on the Hokage Rock; the faces were covered in paint.
Hinata:... She covered her face and murmured to herself.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have guided him; this event has even happened earlier..."
That wasn't even what gave her the biggest headache. The most critical part was... "You didn't even bring me along for something this fun, after I've been so good to you... Also, your dad is up there."
She really wondered what Naruto would think when he looked back on this after finding out the Fourth was his father.