"Yeah, right—I'm not some artsy girl who needs music class."
Scowling, Sasuke took the bamboo flute from Hinata. He glanced at a nearby mirror and compared his transformed appearance carefully from all angles. Once he was sure the look no longer resembled himself, he finally relaxed. As long as nobody could tell it was him, it wouldn't be that embarrassing.
"No worries. We'll add the music in post. Now, Naruto—it's your turn."
Hinata wagged a finger at Naruto, who was standing around with his arms crossed and a blank expression. "Make yourself cuter."
"Tch~ I know already. Just a fox transformation, right?"
If anything, Transformation Jutsu was Naruto's specialty. Forget the infamous Sexy Jutsu and Harem Technique—in the original story, he had even used Transformation Jutsu to beat Kiba during the Chunin Exams.
With a puff of smoke, Naruto turned into a small, orange-yellow fox. The details were spot-on, from his expression to the six whisker marks on his cheeks.
"That won't do... Make the fur pure white. Right—now add a tuft of red fur on your back and forehead... Good~ Then change the tip of the tail to red too. Perfect! Now you really look like a mystical spirit."
Grabbing Naruto by the scruff of his neck, Hinata gleefully enjoyed this process like customizing a character in a game. Naruto, as the unwilling victim, had no choice but to quietly follow her directions and adjust his coloration and markings. Fortunately, it wasn't that difficult, so soon enough, both protagonists had their appearance finalized.
As for the background, that was already taken care of—a quiet hilltop on the outskirts of Konoha, scenic and secluded, perfectly matching the script.
Unfortunately, Naruto hadn't learned Shadow Clone Jutsu yet, so he could only serve as an actor for now. Otherwise, with that jutsu, he could basically replace an entire film crew.
"Sasuke, give me more of that lonely, dreamy gaze. Good~ Show a bit of your chest too. Relax—no one's going to censor a guy showing some skin~"
Hinata's directing style was simple and blunt. Pose after pose, she photographed the leads, planning to turn the shots into a photo storybook, with manually added captions and narrative.
The tech level in the Naruto world was... odd. On one hand, it had engines, electronics, and modern machines. On the other, such things weren't widely used.
So Hinata had no plans to shoot actual videos for now. Television wasn't common yet, and producing a TV series was way too complicated for a small crew.
A photo album formatted like a manga panel series was more realistic in terms of production and market appeal.
Still, even this format needed more people. Forget background actors—just playing the "shepherd boy" meant Sasuke should've had at least a few goats and sheep around, right?
Sighing, Hinata started making mental plans. Adults were out—they weren't obedient and posed a risk of leaking information. That meant recruiting more kids.
Of course, they had to be good at Transformation Jutsu. When she did the math, it became obvious: she'd have to recruit from their own ninja class.
She winced a little—she'd have to split some of the profits. But this was necessary. Once Naruto mastered Shadow Clone Jutsu, he could handle the whole crew himself.
Resigned, Hinata admitted the best casting choices were already laid out. The "Konoha Twelve" from the original story were ideal. Excluding herself, Naruto, Sasuke, and the already-graduated Neji, Lee, and Tenten, that left six more classmates.
Ino and Sakura would be easy—just say Sasuke was in the film, and those fangirls might pay to join the cast.
Shikamaru and Shino were tougher. Both were aloof and hard to fool, with high IQs. If they weren't interested, they wouldn't budge.
Choji and Kiba would be much easier. Choji could be bribed with barbecue. And Kiba? Like Naruto, he was a rowdy extrovert. If it looked fun, he'd jump right in.
Alright then. Once the first volume of Fox-Tale Romance hit shelves, Hinata would plan the next steps based on its sales performance.
Having made up her mind, Hinata wrapped up the day's shoot. Finally done, Sasuke and Naruto released their transformation jutsu. Both were gasping for breath—even if the technique didn't use much chakra, maintaining it for long periods was exhausting.
"Great work today~ I'll go home and start editing the album. We'll shoot again the day after tomorrow."
Packing up her camera and props, Hinata was in high spirits—until Sasuke suddenly spoke up behind her.
"Wait!"
"You still haven't said when we'll get those training scrolls!"
Naruto crossed his arms, clearly annoyed. The two leads were fully hooked on Hinata's bluff about the "Nanto Seven Saints Fist" and weren't letting go.
Hinata winced. Seriously? They're still going with this? Where the hell am I supposed to find fake scrolls now?
She'd tried to stress how dangerous the training was, but it clearly hadn't worked. These two weren't backing down.
Sigh... So this is the cost of bullshitting? Now I actually have to follow through?
"Very well. I'm glad to see such determination."
Turning around, Hinata forced herself to continue the lie. Even she felt a little awkward—being pushed into keeping up a bluff was a weird kind of pressure.
"If you're prepared to risk your lives, then... same place, tomorrow morning. I'll bring the scrolls."
"Whether you can master them will depend on your resolve and... your luck!"
Privately, she relaxed again. Worst case, she'd use some physically grueling training to scare them off. Maybe they'd give up on their own.
---
Hinata's steps echoed softly across the old wooden hallway. Under the moonlight, the Hyūga compound exuded a solemn, timeworn atmosphere—a fitting representation of its pride and legacy.
Big clans were built on rules and sacrifice. But all that heritage was still just a product of human culture. When the foundation vanished, it would be nothing more than a slightly longer-lived blip in the stream of time.
Still, as long as the clan stood, its members were expected to give everything for it. In that sense, Hinata didn't mind her current status—ignored and left behind. If the original Hinata hadn't been deemed too weak to train, she'd probably still be stuck in grueling family exercises every day. And that would've been far worse.
A small figure stood outside Hinata's room, making her stop in her tracks. Her brow twitched with faint irritation.
"Big sister?"
The little girl looked uneasy. But the way she addressed Hinata made her identity clear: Hyūga Hanabi, the clan's second daughter. After Hinata was deemed unworthy, the elders had poured all their effort into training this gifted child in Gentle Fist.
In other words, her little sister. Biologically, at least.
The idea made Hinata tilt her head slightly. It was hard to explain—but she felt nothing but... disgust.
"You should be in bed. Tomorrow's training will be tough."
She brushed past Hanabi and opened her room. Truthfully, she still wasn't used to the sparse Japanese-style bedroom. But she'd make do. Once she was strong enough, she'd leave this clan behind.
"Big sister... you've been coming home really late lately... so..."
Hanabi's voice had the innocence of a six-year-old, but her words made Hinata frown. A flicker of anger surfaced—and faded.
"I've got my own stuff to do. I'll be late for a while."
Tossing her bag into the room, Hinata turned and walked over to Hanabi. Looking down at her so-called sister, she felt... nothing.
Hanabi wasn't even seven yet. She looked a lot like Hinata, but her personality was entirely different—stronger, more competitive, and extremely gifted in Gentle Fist.
But none of that mattered to this Hinata. The only thing that bothered her was the weirdness of this so-called "sister."
Come on. I never had a sister in my past life. And now I've got one in this weird isekai world?
"...Sister?"
It was more a question than a title. Like she was trying to understand something foreign. Hinata's eyes narrowed. A trace of anger bulged the veins near her temples. Her Byakugan activated involuntarily, reflecting her inner agitation.
It was like her eyes and emotions were in sync—ready to dissect this so-called "little sister" down to her very soul.
Hanabi shivered. This was her sister, Hinata—but her eyes and demeanor felt like a stranger.
The warmth and shyness she remembered were gone, replaced by a cold, alien presence.