Chapter 312: Firefighter
Under the glaring sunlight,
a thick yellowish fog blanketed the inland mountains, covering everything in its path.
Beneath the haze, all forms of life—humans, trees, even rocks—were slowly being drained of vitality.
At the edge of the deep forest, a colossal beast that resembled a walking fortress lumbered forward. The large growths on its body pulsed rhythmically, as though they were breathing. From time to time, it inhaled the thick fog surrounding it.
With every breath, its massive form grew—subtly, but noticeably to those watching closely.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sharp stench of burning metal and gunpowder filled the air. Fighter planes and tanks opened fire, bombarding the behemoth.
Its dark green blood splattered across the ground, leaving wet, grotesque trails in its wake.
The attacks were working—at least to some degree. Orders were relayed from a distant command center across the ocean to all nearby units. The humans of this world were doing everything they could to stop the monster.
More importantly, they were trying to protect someone.
Everyone watching the hunt knew the beast's current target: the woman struggling to rise from the shattered ground.
Hinata gritted her teeth, trembling as she pushed the fallen tree off her body.
"I have to find a way out."
She felt a cold emptiness deep inside—something leaking, something vital.
Hinata quickly used acupressure to suppress the internal bleeding. Every step forward was agony.
The giant beast was getting closer.
Unlike others, Hinata had the Byakugan. She could analyze its body in detail—and what she saw was grim.
The monster hadn't been unaffected by the Victory Team's bombardment. It had been hurt. But it healed too fast.
The thick fog around it absorbed the energy of everything nearby—living or not—and fed it back to the monster.
If they couldn't eliminate the fog, there was no hope of stopping it.
More importantly, Hinata sensed something else—this creature wasn't as mindless as it looked.
It was intelligent.
It knew Hinata had been coordinating the battle earlier. Despite the overwhelming artillery fire from others, the beast focused only on her.
And she didn't feel raw killing intent. No—what she sensed was something restrained, calculated.
If it had wanted her dead instantly, it could've gathered its energy and obliterated her long ago. But it was approaching slowly… deliberately.
"To catch a leader, strike the commander first."
It knew its own weakness—its speed—and was compensating for it.
What do I do?
Though her mind raced with anxiety, Hinata stayed calm and scanned the area.
The monster loomed close. No cover remained—just the broken trees she'd crashed through.
The terrain offered nothing. Her injuries offered less.
Finally, her eyes turned skyward—toward the fighter jets streaking overhead.
If just one of them would descend…
Maybe she could jump onto it and escape.
But the headset had been damaged earlier. She had no way to contact them.
And even if she could…
These Victory Team members didn't owe her anything. They weren't her comrades. They weren't Hyuga.
They might not be willing to risk their lives to save her.
She'd only been with them a few hours. Even if she'd led them, acted as bait, helped identify the monster's weak points, and provided cover—they weren't bound to her.
And now, as they struggled to hold the monster back with artillery fire, it became all too clear…
She was still an outsider.
Hinata clenched her fists.
I was reckless.
Ryosuke had warned her—training that could reshape one's limits wouldn't be easy.
He said he wouldn't follow her. Said she needed to learn to stop depending on him.
Then why… why did I still believe he'd save me in the end?
When had she become so irrational?
It hit her then—how much her instincts had dulled after years under Ryosuke's protection.
Hinata stared blankly at the approaching beast, its pressure suffocating.
But she wasn't afraid. Not frozen, either.
Compared to this monster, Uchiha Madara's complete Susanoo was far more terrifying.
Her standards were high. She wouldn't tremble just from this.
But even with her composure, escape was nearly impossible.
Her injuries were too severe. One wrong move, one burst of effort, and she'd die before the monster even touched her.
She needed a full plan. An actual route.
But no matter how she racked her mind… no path revealed itself.
"Is Uchiha Sasuke still not going to show up?"
Far away, Shinjo and the others continued to suppress the monster's pace with heavy artillery. They glanced toward Hinata's fading figure with regret.
"Is that all? She's a jōnin, but she seems so much weaker than Sasuke."
"Are we just going to sit here and watch?"
"If we charge now, we'll just raise the death count."
In the communication channel, Shinjo and the other team leaders spoke with HQ, trying to determine their next move.
Hinata had appeared out of nowhere. But her purpose was undeniable, she was trying to help them kill the monster.
She fought for the same reason they did to protect Earth.
She had even risked her life as bait to expose the monster's weak points.
But…
They had no way to save her.
Under the monster's watchful eye, no one could even get close.
It was a hard truth
Humans are fragile.
"Everyone, prepare for a full assault."
"All nearby civilians have been evacuated. A secondary defense line has been established."
"We've received missile clearance from allied nations. If Hyuga Hinata dies in this battle, we will avenge her, and offer full acknowledgment to the ninja force behind her."
Megumi Iruma's voice rang clear through every GUTS headset.
She didn't say it outright, but her message was loud and clear
This monster must not be allowed to leave. No matter the cost.
Whether they were ninjas or civilians unable to evacuate, they would all remain here together.
Between the safety of the majority and the hopes of the few, GUTS had made their decision, they chose the majority.
"Retreat!"
Shinjo took a deep breath and issued the order to the personnel on site.
If missile strikes were to be launched, they had to withdraw behind the primary defense line immediately.
And just as nearly everyone had given up on Hinata, even Hinata herself on the verge of surrender
Boom
A blinding light suddenly fell from the sky.
A light brighter than the sun itself gathered before the monster, as though countless stars had concentrated their brilliance into a single point.
At first, it was only a phantom.
Then, a towering giant emerged, so colossal it seemed capable of holding up the heavens.
"Tiga!"
"It's Tiga!"
Shinjo and the rest of GUTS stared in awe, their eyes filled with renewed hope.
Even Megumi Iruma, stationed far away at an overseas base, allowed herself a faint smile.
The retreat order was paused.
Tiga.
Though Ultraman Tiga was still something of a mystery to GUTS, the light he radiated brought an inexplicable sense of peace and reassurance.
Somehow, they all instinctively trusted this giant.
Bang
The giant descended, his landing shaking the earth.
Despite his immense size, Tiga's posture was strikingly human, he had limbs, facial features, and even… a heart. Though instead of beating blood, it glowed as an energy lamp embedded in his chest.
His eyes, shining like twin beacons, locked onto the monster ahead. Tiga didn't need to assess the situation, he already understood that the creature before him was the source of destruction.
Across from him, the monster sensed his presence. It halted its advance on Hinata and turned its gaze toward the giant.
"Hello!"
Just then, a voice caught Tiga's attention.
It came from directly beneath him, close enough that he could see clearly.
A woman, dressed in what seemed like traditional garb.
Tiga had no idea who she was, nor how the battle had unfolded until now. But her presence stirred his instinct, to protect.
Though he glanced down briefly, his eyes never left the monster, which was still watching him warily.
"The monster's weak points are its mouthparts and hands," Hinata called out, forcing her voice past the pain. "The rest of its body is covered in hard armor. Attacks won't work there."
"It shoots energy from its mouth. Watch for that. And…"
"It absorbs energy from the thick fog around it to heal and grow stronger. If we don't eliminate the fog first, we can't kill it."
In just a few sentences, Hinata shared everything she knew. "Also, in exchange for that information, I'd like to request one thing, leave me some material from the body after it's defeated. I need to study its structure!"
Each word hurt to say, but she forced herself to continue.
Tiga nodded slightly. Whether he believed her or simply chose to trust her, it was enough.
He raised a hand and pointed at her.
A soft beam of light shot from his fingertip, enveloping Hinata in seconds.
She couldn't dodge.
But there was no need.
She immediately felt the difference.
The pain in her body lessened. The fractures began to mend. A strange, warm sensation spread through her chest, her wounds were healing, slowly but surely.
A power no ordinary human possessed.
"Thank you."
She bowed her head slightly, her voice calm but sincere.
There was no doubt, this light had a healing effect.
Tiga wasted no time. Now armed with critical intel, he surged forward, seizing the monster by the head and throwing it far from Hinata's position.
Seizing the opportunity, GUTS advanced several multi purpose off road tanks to reach Hinata's position and extract her.
"Is this… Tiga?"
Even as she was carefully placed on a stretcher and carried toward a waiting tank, Hinata's eyes never left the giant.
But what she saw wasn't what others did.
To them, Tiga was a being of light and power.
To Hinata, his entire body was constructed from countless radiant lights. And at the center of it all… was a human. Ordinary in appearance, waiting silently within the core.
"The heart…"
Her Byakugan narrowed slightly.
More precisely, it was the energy lamp's location.
A human, no larger than any other, was situated right at the energy core, piloting the massive body.
Or perhaps… he had become light itself.
There were differences between him and Eren. His physique had improved by dozens of times, far surpassing what Eren's Titan transformation could offer.
In fact, the energy pulsing within his body… was comparable to Uchiha Madara.
Of course, that was the Madara who had surrendered the Divine Tree to Kaguya Otsutsuki and stepped down from the Six Paths realm.
The healing energy from Tiga had stabilized Hinata's injuries.
She no longer felt overwhelmed or disoriented, but watched the fight unfold with clarity, watching this Giant of Light whom even Uchiha Sasuke would admire.
In that moment, her mindset had shifted completely.
She no longer thought of herself as the proud head of the Hyuga clan with elite forces at her command. She no longer believed herself untouchable or innately powerful.
Instead, she watched Tiga's movements carefully. Studied them.
Learned from them.
She was just a ninja.
An ordinary ninja who hadn't completed many missions.
Yes, her body met the Hyuga clan's tenth level standards. Yes, she'd inherited their secret techniques. Yes, she carried a wealth of jutsu scrolls.
But still…
She was a rookie in battle.
A beginner, sitting atop a mountain of treasures, with no idea how to turn any of it into true strength.
---
"So… she's finally awake?"
Far away, Ryosuke could clearly sense Hinata's hesitation, her fear, and the fierce unwillingness burning beneath it.
This was where true training began.
Perhaps only now… did she begin to see this world as a true battlefield.
---
"So Ultraman Tiga… is actually a human?"
Beside him, Uchiha Sasuke stared at the giant who could shatter mountains with a single punch, his expression complicated.
"Daigo… no wonder he's always nearby whenever a giant appears."
"I should've guessed. But I never expected that a mere human could possess such overwhelming power."