The air in Training Ground 8 was different from the rest of the village. It was wilder. The scent of pine and damp earth mixed with the almost imperceptible smell of an animal’s den and the low, constant hum of Shino’s insects, which seemed to form a second layer of atmosphere around him. For Hinata, it was a world of new and overwhelming sensations.

She was sitting on the branch of a tree, a position that a week ago would have given her paralyzing vertigo. Now, it felt natural. Her feet rested firmly on the bark, her balance perfect. From there, she watched her two new teammates.

Kiba Inuzuka was an explosion of impatient energy. He paced in circles, punching a fist into his palm, while Akamaru, peeking his head out of Kiba’s jacket, let out small, muffled barks of pure boredom.

“How much longer are we gonna wait?” Kiba grumbled, looking at the sky as if he could speed up time with the force of his gaze. “Senseis are supposed to be on time! I’m getting the urge to bite something!”

Shino Aburame, in contrast, was the personification of stillness. He stood by the trunk of a tree, so motionless he almost blended into the shadow. If it weren’t for the faint hum of his kikaichū insects, you might think he was a statue. He showed no impatience, only an analytical and expectant presence.

Hinata sighed softly, the vapor of her breath visible in the cool morning air. Her mind wasn’t entirely there. A part of her was still in the Academy classroom, reliving the look of disappointment in Naruto’s eyes when they announced they were on different teams. A disappointment she interpreted as a silent lament for their separation. The memory brought a warmth to her chest, a mix of joy for the feeling she attributed to him and sadness for the forced distance between them.

I have to get stronger, she thought, clenching her fists in her lap. The promise she had made to herself and, silently, to him, was a fire burning beneath her usual timid composure. Not just for me. So he can rely on me. So that when he needs me, I’ll be ready.

“It seems the wait is over.”

Shino’s calm, monotonous voice pulled her from her thoughts. Hinata looked down. A woman had appeared in the center of the clearing. They hadn’t heard her arrive. She moved with the grace of a falling leaf, but her presence was unmistakable. She had long black hair and piercing red eyes that seemed to analyze every inch of them. She wore the standard attire of a Konoha jōnin, but she carried it with a confidence and elegance that made her seem almost royal.

“Good morning, genin.”

Her voice was melodic, but with an edge of authority that instantly silenced Kiba’s complaints.

“My name is Kurenai Yuhi. And from today on, I will be your sensei.”

Hinata felt a pang of intimidation, an old reflex. Kurenai was famous, one of the most talented kunoichi in the art of genjutsu. But the feeling was fleeting, replaced by a quiet determination. She slid off the branch and landed silently on the ground, a move that caused Kurenai to raise an eyebrow with interest.

“Before we begin, I want to know who I’m working with,” Kurenai said, her gaze moving from one to the next. “Introduce yourselves. Your names, what you like, what you dislike, and your dreams for the future. You first,” she pointed to Kiba.

Kiba grinned from ear to ear, his energy returning in full force.

“I’m Kiba Inuzuka, and this is my partner, Akamaru! What we like is running through the forest and barbecue pork ribs! What we dislike is having to stay still! And my dream is to become the best ninja in the Inuzuka clan and have my name be as famous as a Hokage’s!”

Akamaru barked energetically, as if co-signing every word.

Kurenai nodded, a small smile on her lips. “And you?” she said, looking at Shino.

“My name is Shino Aburame. I like insects. I do not like being asked why. My dream is to study the ecology of new insect species and perfect my clan’s techniques. It is a logical goal.”

His introduction was so direct and strange that Kiba rolled his eyes. Kurenai, however, seemed to find it fascinating. Finally, her red eyes settled on Hinata.

“And you.”

Hinata felt the gazes of her companions fixed on her. Heat rose to her cheeks. The old shyness fought to take control, to make her look down, to make her stammer. But then, she remembered Naruto’s smile. She took a deep breath.

“M-my name is Hinata Hyuga,” she began, her voice a whisper. “I like… pressed flowers. And zenzai. I d-dislike… people who judge others without knowing them. And my dream…” she paused, and her voice became firmer, clearer, “…my dream is to become a strong and kind kunoichi. Someone my family can be proud of… and someone my friends can rely on.”

The silence that followed her introduction was different. Kiba stared at her, surprised by the unexpected firmness of her last words. Shino tilted his head, analyzing. And Kurenai watched her with a new intensity. She saw the shyness, yes, but she also saw the spark of steel beneath it.

“Alright,” Kurenai said finally. “A tracking and containment team with a taijutsu specialist, a sabotage expert, and a Gentle Fist heiress. Interesting. But words are cheap. I want to see what you can do.”

Her smile became a little sharper.

“Your first test as a team will be simple. A training match. Two on one. Kiba, Shino, you will attack. Hinata, you will defend. The goal isn’t to win; it’s to show me what you’re capable of.”

Kiba smirked arrogantly. “Two on one? Poor Hinata! Don’t worry, we’ll go easy on you! Right, Akamaru?”

Akamaru barked, though it sounded a little guilty.

Hinata felt a pang of panic. Defend against both of them at once? It was a test designed to make her fail, to expose her weakness. But then, the feeling of the power now flowing within her reminded her that she was no longer the same girl.

“I’m ready, Kurenai-sensei,” she said, her voice steady.

The battle began like a storm. Kiba was a whirlwind of animal instinct.

“Fang over Fang!”

He and Akamaru launched themselves at her in a tornado of claws and teeth. At the same time, Shino, with a subtle movement of his fingers, sent a swarm of kikaichū insects across the ground—a silent, black carpet seeking to surround her and drain her chakra.

The old Hinata would have frozen. She would have cowered, waiting for the impact.

The new Hinata moved.

For her, the world slowed down. The power Naruto had transferred to her hadn’t just boosted her stats; it had sharpened her perception to a superhuman level. With her Byakugan active, she didn’t just see Kiba’s attack; she sensed the concentration of chakra in his limbs, the tension of his muscles, the exact trajectory of his spin. She didn’t just see Shino’s swarm; she perceived the collective flow of their chakra, the pattern of their advance.

She didn’t dodge Kiba’s attack with a desperate leap. She took a single, fluid side-step, a movement so economical and precise it seemed as if she hadn’t moved at all. Kiba’s tornado ripped past her, cutting through nothing but air.

In the same instant, she jumped back, landing on the balls of her feet just where Shino’s swarm had not yet reached. All in less than a second.

Kiba skidded to a halt, stumbling from his own momentum. He turned, his mouth open.

“But how…? I didn’t even touch you!”

Before Kiba could recover from his shock, Shino launched his next attack. A cluster of insects rose into the air, shooting toward her like living bullets.

Hinata didn’t retreat. She met them. Her hands moved in a blur, a dance of open palms, creating a barrier. An almost invisible dome of pure chakra materialized around her for an instant. The insects collided with it and fell to the ground, stunned but unharmed.

“A rotational chakra defense…” Kurenai muttered to herself from a distance, her red eyes wide with surprise. “That’s not a standard Gentle Fist technique. It’s… advanced.”

Kiba, fed up with missing, charged again, this time head-on, pure brute force.

“You’re not dodging this!”

Hinata sighed. I’m sorry, Kiba-kun. She remembered Naruto’s words: Show them you’re not weak.

Just as Kiba was about to reach her, she moved. She slipped inside his guard, a seemingly impossible maneuver, and her hand shot out. It wasn’t a powerful strike. It was a touch. Two fingers, precise and firm, struck a pressure point on Kiba’s shoulder.

Kiba’s arm went instantly limp, hanging uselessly at his side. The force of his charge dissipated, and he fell to his knees at her feet, a look of absolute bewilderment on his face.

“My arm… I can’t move it…”

Shino, seeing his teammate neutralized, stopped his attack. The training ground fell silent, broken only by Kiba’s ragged breathing.

Hinata stood there, her face flushed from being the center of attention. The surge of power left her slightly dizzy.

“I-I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “Are you okay?”

Kurenai approached slowly, her expression a mixture of astonishment and deep curiosity. She looked at Hinata, then at Kiba’s paralyzed arm, and then back at Hinata.

“Hinata…” she began, her voice carefully neutral. “That was… an exceptional display of skill. Your speed, your defense, your precision… they far exceed the level of a newly graduated genin. Where have you been training?”

Hinata blushed even more. The lie she had prepared felt weak under her new sensei’s intense gaze.

“I-I’ve been… working hard on my own, Kurenai-sensei.”

Kurenai didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she nodded. She knelt beside Kiba and, with a pulse of chakra, released the pressure point, restoring mobility to his arm.

Kiba stood up, rubbing his shoulder, looking at Hinata as if she were an alien.

“That was amazing!” he shouted, his frustration replaced by loud admiration. “You beat me without breaking a sweat! You’re incredible, Hinata!”

“Your defensive and counter-attacking abilities are… logically superior,” Shino said, adjusting his glasses. “I underestimated you. That was a miscalculation.”

The praise from her teammates, so direct and sincere, made her feel a wave of pride and panic in equal parts. They were all looking at her, expecting things from her. It was what she had always wanted, and it was absolutely terrifying.

Kurenai stood up, a smile of genuine excitement on her face.

“I think I’ve just found the vanguard for my tracking team,” she declared. “Congratulations, Hinata. From now on, your place will be at the front.”

****

The praise from her new team was still replaying in Hinata’s head. Kiba hadn’t stopped asking her questions, excited to have such a strong teammate. Shino had observed her with an analytical interest that was strangely comforting. And Kurenai… Kurenai had looked at her with a pride she had never seen in her own father’s eyes.

It felt… good. She felt strong. She felt like a part of something.

But as she walked, a persistent question floated in her mind, a worry that mixed with her newfound happiness. She touched the ninja headband around her neck, the symbol of her new life.

I wonder… she thought, a small, soft smile forming on her lips as she looked at the sky, as if she could see through it to another training ground, one where an orange whirlwind was surely causing chaos.

…how Naruto is doing.