Chapter 311: Wake Up!
"She's only at the beginning of her training, yet you've given her such a difficult task. I'm starting to doubt the relationship between you and your new wife."
On a distant mountaintop overlooking the monster, two figures observed the unfolding situation below.
When Sasuke spoke, he placed deliberate emphasis on the word new wife.
"Hinata is no rookie," Ryosuke replied calmly. "As the head of the Hyuga clan, even if her own training progress lags behind others, her perception is not lacking in the slightest."
"Among us, the Hyuga clan possesses taijutsu masters strong enough to shatter mountains, genjutsu specialists who can alter the world, and ninjutsu experts proficient in yin-yang elemental techniques."
"And all of them follow Hinata's command. Naturally, she knows them well."
"It's difficult to gauge the strength of the enemy she's been assigned. If they're too weak, she won't feel the pressure of a true life-or-death crisis—and she'll never take that next step."
"But if they're too strong, the pressure might break her…"
With just a few words, Ryosuke made it clear how much he valued Hinata.
Sasuke stayed silent, letting that sink in.
"But aren't you afraid she might be seriously injured—or worse?"
"If she's training, why fear getting hurt?" Ryosuke shook his head. "This is the path she chose. I respect that."
"As for death... I'm here. Even if she has only a breath left, I can drag her back from the King of Hell."
Though he'd told Hinata he wouldn't interfere—that this was her trial—there was no way he'd truly leave her alone. She was his wife, and she was clan head. How could he just stand by?
His presence reminded Sasuke of Itachi—the way his brother trained and protected him when they were young.
But that protection had consequences. After that night, Sasuke found it hard to change his mindset. He overlooked details. He fell into Itachi's trap, step by step.
"This illusion that you've arranged everything… it's blinding," Sasuke murmured—perhaps to Ryosuke, or maybe to himself.
Ryosuke caught the meaning. Sasuke was thinking about him again.
But Ryosuke was no Uchiha Itachi. And Hinata was not Sasuke. She wouldn't be so easily deceived.
He knew himself well. He wouldn't let her face danger alone. Hinata, of course, knew that too.
She was smart—too smart not to guess that he was secretly following her.
But that knowledge could dull her edge. If she thought he was always there to protect her, she'd hold back. She wouldn't push herself beyond her limits.
Which meant Ryosuke had one job now—make her believe he truly wasn't there.
---
By the riverbank, Daiko—the human form of Tiga, the guardian of this world—was slowly regaining consciousness. But to avoid disrupting Hinata's experience, Ryosuke kept him under a little longer.
Since he couldn't act directly, Daiko would be the one to play savior… if needed.
"I've contacted HQ to dispatch more fighter jets," Munakata said sternly to the kunoichi in front of him. "Here's the communication device you'll need."
He handed Hinata something that resembled a headset.
"Thank you," Hinata replied, placing the device over her ear.
A serious female voice crackled through it almost immediately.
"This is Captain Megumi Iruma of the Victory Team."
Back at Victory Team HQ, Iruma Kei sat at the center of a long desk, surrounded by support staff. All eyes were glued to the large screen in front of them, which displayed a mosaic of live surveillance feeds from the monster-affected zone.
With Hinata's escort, the scattered Victory Team members had regrouped, moving away from the monster that, having lost its target, had now dissolved into thick fog. A temporary command post was set up in a clearing near the deep forest.
But the nearby village remained enveloped by mist.
"Hyuga clan. Hinata Hyuga."
Hinata introduced herself succinctly. "I've done a preliminary scan. This monster has several likely weaknesses. I'll need your support to test them."
Though her constitution had been improved by body-training medicine and training, Hinata still lacked a truly effective attack against such an opponent.
Her clan's Gentle Fist could damage a human's internal systems by targeting chakra points—but this monster was a different beast altogether.
Its thick armor could likely absorb or deflect her attacks entirely.
She lacked a decisive strike technique. And her chakra reserves were limited.
Understanding her weaknesses, she knew she needed backup—and fast.
"Of the five elements, lightning has the greatest piercing power. Given how thick this monster's armor is, I suggest using lightning-based attacks—"
Hinata paused mid-sentence.
The other end of the line went quiet, too.
Lightning style… It was very ninja-like. Too much like Uchiha Sasuke.
"Don't worry," Iruma Kei finally responded. "The fighters are equipped with high-pulse laser cannons. Their penetrating power rivals any lightning-based jutsu."
"Ten tanks with the same weaponry are also en route to your location. But with the roads blocked, they'll need time to arrive."
"In the meantime, Hyuga… jōnin, please assist the fighters in holding back the mist."
"Residents near Mount Rimu haven't been evacuated yet."
Unsure of Hinata's rank, Iruma guessed based on context. If she was Sasuke's superior—and Sasuke claimed to be a Genin—then she had to be a Chunin or higher.
"I'll do my best," Hinata said.
She didn't promise success. But she accepted the responsibility.
Having gained the Victory Team's temporary trust, she no longer felt lost like when she first arrived in this world. Now, she naturally assumed the role of commander.
"I'll draw its attention. Target the weak points I indicate."
Her figure flickered through the dense forest. While not faster than the fighter jets above, she was much more agile.
"Stay high. Don't get too close," she advised. "We don't know how smart this thing is, but it reacts instinctively to danger."
As the head of the Hyuga clan, she was no stranger to leading combat operations like this.
With her Byakugan, she could command the entire army in close range rather than sit at the rear, discussing strategy with her staff on how to conquer the Teigu World as she once did.
This was likely Hinata's first time participating in a battle as an on-site commander.
It was also her first time leading the charge into battle.
But aside from that, the most important gain was the headset in her ear.
She had heard Ryosuke speak about the advantages of advanced technology, but having never visited a technologically developed world, she hadn't experienced it herself.
Now… a signal capable of covering half the planet, able to connect and coordinate the entire battlefield without relying on a sensory ninja—this was vital for any commander.
Although the ninja world also used headsets, they weren't nearly as advanced. Most communication still relied heavily on sensory ninjas.
And even then, there was always a slight delay in relaying information. While a high-level sensory ninja could shorten this delay, real-time coordination was still rare.
If this kind of technology could be introduced into the Hyuga clan, they could achieve real-time communication unhindered by distance.
No matter which world they were in, as long as Hyuga members carried communication devices and remained within range of a signal base station, they could report and analyze missions instantly—saving tremendous time and effort.
Beyond that, this system could also track each member's position, allowing for immediate rescue, support, or even targeted search and retrieval in case of emergency.
And if integrated with imaging technology… the possibilities would expand even further.
Hinata had no interest in this world's fighter jets or tanks. Compared to weapons, she valued the auxiliary equipment more.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that.
"Soft Fist: Eight Trigrams Palm!"
Her white eyes locked onto the enormous figure shrouded in thick fog.
She darted toward the monster hidden within the deep forest, a high concentration of chakra condensing into her hands. With a crisp "Hei! Haah!" she unleashed her Soft Fist chakra in a long-range strike.
Though her training had been neglected over the years due to family obligations and limited personal time, she had continued practicing the clan's secret techniques during spare moments to keep her body in shape. She was still proficient.
"Roar!"
Sensing danger, the monster let out a furious roar and charged straight at her.
Hinata's chakra-infused strike—collided with the thick armor of the monster's body. Just as she had expected, it couldn't even pierce the outer layer, let alone damage its internal structure.
"I won't dodge yet. Its movement path is predictable. I need to lock onto the weak points I mentioned and see if we can exploit them."
She reviewed the plan that had been rehearsed. Staring straight at the oncoming monster, she stood her ground.
Its speed wasn't high. Even if she hesitated for a few seconds to act as bait, she still had a decent chance of dodging at the last second.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
A sharp sound sliced through the sky as beams of laser energy descended from the fighters above.
The high-intensity light beams shot directly at the monster's eyes and mouth, aiming with precision and speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a thunderous roar, several beams struck different parts of the monster just as it lunged toward Hinata.
"Roar!!"
The monster howled in pain.
With her Byakugan locked on, Hinata noticed two of the previous strikes had successfully pierced the armor and hit internal flesh.
The other shots, however, bounced off as if they'd struck solid rock.
Only the beams targeting the mouthparts and palms managed to pierce through. Dark green liquid—possibly its blood—began to gush out.
"The offensive worked. We—"
Hinata's voice rose with hope as she prepared to command another round of attacks to deepen the wounds.
But then... she froze.
The injured parts of the monster's body began to regenerate rapidly. At a speed visible to the naked eye, the wounds sealed up entirely in moments.
And then...
Boom!
Arcs of electricity crackled from the monster's mouth like a coiled storm. A powerful surge of energy launched in Hinata's direction with terrifying speed.
"Kaiten!"
She had no time to evade.
In that instant, Hinata's chakra surged outward, forming a spiraling cyclone around her body—a barrier of soft fist chakra.
"Bang!"
Kaiten—once hailed as the Hyuga clan's ultimate defense—was instantly shattered.
The monstrous energy blast tore through her chakra shield, striking her directly and hurling her body through the air like a broken doll.
She crashed into several trees, snapping thick trunks like twigs before finally being buried beneath the debris. Even her headset lost connection.
Her internal organs—stomach, intestines—were intact. But her sternum and ribs were fractured. Her arm, shattered from the direct impact, hung uselessly at her side.
"I have to move… now!"
Despite the searing pain, Hinata's mind remained sharply focused. She scanned her body internally, then attempted to free herself from under the crushed trees.
She now understood how foolish she'd been.
Even knowing that the monster had never gone all-out from the start, she'd still dared to act as bait and direct the battle tactics herself.
It had been reckless—arrogant.
Her body trembled, unable to muster the strength to lift the massive tree pressing down on her.
Blood smeared her face, but her Byakugan remained locked on the approaching monster.
Despite the fighter jets circling above and tanks rumbling in the distance, their firepower continued to prove insufficient.
The monster ignored them all, charging toward her like a predator locking onto its prey.
And although the attacks were guided precisely to its weak spots, they couldn't do enough damage to kill it.
If anything… the pain only enraged it further.
"Ryosuke, you bastard… you really didn't follow me, did you?"
Hinata stared at the monstrous beast inching closer. For the first time, true fear gripped her. The terrifying proximity of death gave her the strength to shove at the heavy tree crushing her.
But her body refused to respond.
She had been wrong. From the very beginning.
She'd assumed Ryosuke would never let her face danger alone. So every plan she made—every strategy—relied on that unspoken assumption.
She believed she couldn't die. That she would be saved at the last moment.