Yagyu clearly overdid it, causing all his efforts to gradually build up Hinata's confidence over the past two months to collapse in an instant. Hinata had never been exposed to such blunt language before.
After she woke up, she immediately reverted to her old shy self, constantly keeping her head down, her cheeks flushed red since the incident. But with her head lowered like that, it only made her well-developed figure—thanks to her "big appetite" and the nutrients she had absorbed—stand out even more. It was so prominent that both Ino and Sakura would definitely feel envious if they saw her now.
At this rate, with her current growth, Hinata was on track to become the definition of a "baby-faced beauty with a striking figure."
Looking at the always-downcast Hinata, Yagyu grew a little concerned that she might, like some female protagonists in certain manga, start feeling insecure or even self-conscious about her early development. So, on impulse, he tried to comfort her, saying, "It's okay, Hinata. Bigger is better. I like them big."
Whoosh—
It was as if a train whistle had gone off. Hinata's head seemed to explode with a white mushroom cloud, and then, the next thing Yagyu knew, the young girl had collapsed onto the tatami mat—unconscious yet again.
Yagyu: "…"
——————
The next day, at 7:30 a.m.
Team 8 arrived early at the village gate, waiting for Kurenai and the merchant caravan to show up.
Shino, with a backpack slung over his shoulders, noticed that Yagyu was empty-handed and asked, "Yagyu, aren't you bringing any luggage?"
Hinata, who hadn't dared to meet Yagyu's gaze since the day before, also curiously glanced at him. Deep down, she felt a bit regretful—thinking, If only I wasn't so timid. I should've stayed and helped Yagyu pack his luggage yesterday.
Yagyu smiled as he pulled out a scroll, saying, "I travel light. All my stuff is in this storage scroll."
That, of course, was a lie.
The scroll was completely empty. Yagyu's belongings were all stored in his space backpack.
Aside from being able to loot items, the space backpack was by far the best feature of the game system. It had a 5x5 grid of storage slots.
Yagyu had tested it before. Like in a game, the backpack could only store inanimate objects, and their weight and volume couldn't exceed the strength of the user—Yagyu, in this case.
As long as the objects met those conditions, multiple identical items could be stacked in the same slot, saving space. However, the maximum stack was capped at ninety-nine units per slot.
With proper use, Yagyu's space backpack could store a lot of stuff.
"A storage scroll?"
Both Shino and Hinata nodded in understanding.
Team 8 then fell into silence once again.
Yagyu couldn't do anything about it—Shino was introverted and stoic, while Hinata was shy and quiet. Any conversation topic would quickly fizzle out. Not knowing how to keep the mood alive, Yagyu decided to just close his eyes and relax.
Before long, it was 8 a.m.
Kurenai and the merchant caravan soon arrived, not keeping Team 8 waiting for long.
"This is Mr. Yamada. You must protect him at all costs during this mission," Kurenai introduced the merchant to her students.
"Yes, Kurenai-sensei," the three of them responded in unison.
Mr. Yamada smiled kindly and said, "Thank you for your help. When we return to the mining village, I will make sure to reward you properly."
That simple statement immediately put him in Yagyu and the others' good graces. Compared to Tazuna, the merchant who Team 7 had encountered in the original story, this client seemed like a much better person. No wonder he was the leader of the caravan.
After making their introductions, both Kurenai and Mr. Yamada handed their departure papers to the Chunin gatekeepers.
For the first time in their lives, Yagyu, Hinata, and Shino were stepping outside the confines of Konoha, the military base they had grown up in.
Hinata's face was full of excitement, clearly curious about the outside world.
Shino, on the other hand, kept his hands in his pockets, maintaining his usual cool demeanor, though in reality, he was even more excited than Hinata.
As for Yagyu, he was genuinely indifferent.
Although he had lived in a bustling city before his reincarnation, Yagyu was originally a kid from the countryside. He had a good idea of what the world outside Konoha was like: a world without paved roads, where even nobles traveled by horse-drawn carriage.
Besides the fresh air and beautiful natural scenery, there would likely only be muddy dirt roads. Pass by a carriage, and you'd end up covered in dust.
If it weren't for the countless D-rank missions that had tempered their patience, this slow, tedious journey would have felt like torture for the three young ninjas.
After all, when ninjas traveled at full speed, they could cover incredible distances. Early in Naruto: Shippuden, Team 7 made it from Konoha to Sunagakure in just a day—and that involved crossing the lands of two major nations and several smaller ones.
Yagyu, who excelled in history, knew the location of the Land of Rivers. It was sandwiched between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. In fact, Akatsuki had sealed Gaara's One-Tail Shukaku in a cave located in the Land of Rivers.
This country was full of mountains and forests. The small towns and villages were either built at the foot of mountains or perched atop them—these mountain settlements were known as "mountain villages."
From the name "Mining Village," it was easy to deduce that this caravan likely came to Konoha to trade iron ore.
Given the region's many mountain ranges, bandit activity was quite common.
With this in mind, Yagyu was somewhat disappointed. Most bandits were just poor, desperate people. The chances of encountering rogue ninjas were nearly zero.
But Yagyu's disappointment only grew from there.
Mr. Yamada, probably carrying a fortune that wasn't entirely his own, was careful not to take any risks. He had purchased enough supplies before leaving Konoha, and the caravan avoided populated areas, taking the quickest route back to the Mining Village.
At night, they camped in the wilderness, and Team 8 took turns standing guard—an incredibly dull task.
It took them three whole days just to leave the Land of Fire.
Upon entering the Land of Rivers, Hinata—who frequently activated her Byakugan—did spot several bandits eyeing the caravan. However, when the scouts reported back about the presence of ninja, these bandits quickly backed off.
Some of the smarter bandits decided to follow the caravan from a distance, hoping to strike once Team 8 left. But with Kurenai's permission, Shino simply dispatched his insects to deal with the would-be stalkers.
On the fifth day after leaving Konoha, having traversed one mountain after another and braved harsh terrain, Team 8 and the caravan finally reached the Mining Village, perched on a mountainside.
Compared to Konoha, the Mining Village was like night and day. In fact, it was less of a village and more like a massive construction site. Aside from the elderly, women, and children, nearly everyone else was working the mines.
Seeing this, Team 8 had no intention of staying to rest for a few days.
After politely declining Mr. Yamada's invitation, Kurenai collected the mission reward and led Team 8 back down the mountain.
However, just as they were preparing to travel swiftly back to Konoha, a group of figures clad in black raincoats appeared ahead of them.
Seeing these individuals, Kurenai and Hinata's faces subtly changed.
Kurenai quickly made a hand gesture behind her back, signaling to the three students.
Hinata moved closer to Yagyu, whispering, "When we came up the mountain, I checked the surroundings with my Byakugan, but I didn't see these people."
Hearing this, Yagyu and Shino instantly tensed up. As they continued moving forward, their hands subtly reached for their weapon pouches, ready for action at a moment's notice.
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