[host: Hyuga Hinata]
[Age: 4 years old]
[Realm: Third Level of Qi Refining]
[Spiritual Root: Fire, Thunder (Dual Spiritual Roots)]
[Cultivation Technique: Basic Qi Introduction Art]
[Skills: Breath Concealment Technique, Minor Thunder and Fire Manipulation]
[Points: 615 points]
Feeling the spiritual power within her body, Hinata slowly opened her eyes.
Her current Spiritual Qi reserves, if converted into a Ninja's Chakra amount, would probably be equivalent to the level of a Chunin.
Of course, this was just a rough comparison of quantity; the quality and application of spiritual power were fundamentally different from Chakra.
"My strength is still improving too slowly."
Hinata frowned slightly.
The further she progressed, the more Spiritual Qi was required for accumulation. This world only had Chakra, which was completely inferior to the Spiritual Qi of the Immortal Realm. She estimated it would still take quite a while to Breakthrough to the Fourth Level of Qi Refining.
Moreover, the Basic Qi Introduction Art was just common, low-quality goods with limited efficiency; it was already incredibly fast for her to have reached this level.
She turned her gaze toward the System shop.
Medicinal Pills that could directly increase one's cultivation were prohibitively expensive, easily costing over a thousand points. There were even Divine Artifacts further down that required hundreds of millions of points; Hinata didn't even bother looking at them, as doing so would only sour her mood.
The Cultivation Technique section did have more Advanced Qi Refining techniques, but they required at least the Fourth Level of Qi Refining to begin transitioning.
Just then, she caught the sound of footsteps outside the courtyard—deliberately lightened, yet still unable to hide from her.
There was more than one person, and their Chakra signatures were concealed, carrying a cold, sinister feeling.
Root? Or Anbu?
Hinata's eyes turned cold. The spiritual power fluctuations around her almost completely vanished, and her entire presence became that of an ordinary toddler—perhaps even weaker.
Like an ordinary child, she wandered around the house, flipping through things here and there, full of curiosity about everything, as if she were completely oblivious to the outside world.
Several dark figures appeared like ghosts in the shadows of the courtyard wall, their eyes scanning the courtyard and rooms like hawks.
Their investigation was very discreet; had Hinata's perception not far exceeded that of an ordinary person, she would have been almost unable to detect them.
"They must be that old dog Danzo's subordinates."
Hinata snorted coldly in her heart.
Ever since the incident at the Hokage Office, the spying from Root had never ceased. It was just that they were more discreet before; this was the first time they had approached her residence like this.
It was likely related to Naruto; he was also a target of close scrutiny for these guys. Her contact with Naruto would naturally draw attention.
Those few presences hovered around for a moment, seemingly finding nothing, and finally retreated silently.
Hinata did not lower her guard.
Danzo was like a poisonous snake hiding in the dark; he would never stop until he achieved his goal.
"I need to find something for them to do so they don't keep staring at me. It's annoying."
Hinata's mind raced.
She remembered that at this time, due to the Nine-Tails Attack, the conflict between the Uchiha Clan and the Konoha Leadership should be growing increasingly sharp. A large part of Danzo's attention should be focused on the Uchiha side.
Perhaps... she could give Danzo a hand, making him focus more on the Uchiha so he'd stop bothering her.
In Hinata's view, the destruction of the Uchiha was already a foregone conclusion, unless Sasuke was taken away and protected in advance, so that Itachi wouldn't be forced to massacre the Village.
Or if Shisui successfully used Kotoamatsukami to change Danzo's mind—but just like in the anime, his eyes would likely be gouged out.
And in the shadows, Obito was also watching like a predator.
The worst-case scenario would be an Uchiha coup leading to direct conflict; in that case, Konoha would likely lose its Origin Qi and might be destroyed by other Villages.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a mess... An idea formed in Hinata's mind.
She didn't need to do anything personally; she just needed to let certain information fall into the ears of the right people in an accidental way.
A few days later, Hinata went for another walk and arrived at a small grove near the Uchiha Clan Compound.
This place was relatively remote, but occasionally children of the Uchiha Clan would practice shuriken here.
She found a high vantage point, acting as a quiet observer.
Soon, two youths wearing clothes with the Uchiha crest walked over and began practicing.
They had arrogant expressions, their words full of pride for their Family, but they also faintly revealed a hint of dissatisfaction with the Village's current state.
"Hmph, those guys are still actually suspecting us. We Uchiha wouldn't deign to do such a lowly thing!"
"Exactly. The Clan Chief also seems to be very troubled lately..."
Hinata listened quietly. When they took a break between practices, her fingertip moved slightly, and an extremely subtle, almost undetectable attack flicked out silently, hitting the trunk of a nearby tree.
"Clack."
A piece of loose bark fell off, revealing an extremely hidden, snail-shell-like miniature monitor behind it.
The two Uchiha members were drawn by the sound, and their eyes immediately locked onto the monitor.
Their faces instantly became extremely unsightly. They knew the Uchiha were being watched, but knowing and discovering it were two different things.
"This... this is?! They really are monitoring us Uchiha!"
"Bastards! How dare they be so blatant! Is it the Anbu? Or..."
Anger and suspicion instantly spread across their faces.
They quickly destroyed the monitor and then hurried back to the clan compound, obviously to report it.
Hinata watched all this from her high vantage point, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
She didn't know if Root or Anbu had installed monitors, but surveillance was a certainty; she had simply added fuel to the fire.
They would definitely tell their companions when they got back. Word would spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred. This kind of public opinion storm was sometimes more terrifying than war.
As for the monitor they just found, it was just a fake thing she had casually handmade.
She believed that with the Uchiha Clan's proud and suspicious nature, discovering such blatant surveillance by Root would mean they would never let the matter drop.
With this bucket of oil poured on, the fire between the Uchiha and the Konoha Leadership would only burn brighter.
But it certainly wouldn't reach the point of a coup yet; Shisui was still alive, and Itachi wouldn't massacre the Village for the time being.
[Ding! host successfully incited conflict between the Uchiha and Root, indirectly influencing the plot's direction. Points gained: 200 points]
[System Evaluation: Diverting trouble to others, watching the tigers fight from the mountain. The host has deeply grasped the essence of self-preservation in the Immortal Realm!]
Having done all this, Hinata left silently, as if she had never appeared.
In the following days, the surface of Konoha remained calm, but Hinata observed otherwise.
Those people from the Uchiha Clan had 'mourning faces' every day, looking unhappy with everyone they saw; things were definitely not peaceful in secret.
Patrols near the Uchiha Clan Compound seemed to have become more frequent, and searches were more thorough.
The number of people Danzo sent to spy on her had decreased significantly, though they still existed, showing just how much that old fellow Danzo disliked her.
The Uchiha's intense reaction tied up most of Root's energy.
Hinata was happy for the peace and quiet, focusing more on her own cultivation.
Her cultivation progressed steadily toward the Fourth Level of Qi Refining, and her control over Thunder and Fire spiritual power became increasingly refined.
She would still occasionally go to see Naruto, see what he was up to, and feed him along the way. Watching that little idiot be happy for half a day over a piece of candy or food, she found it quite interesting.
She would also pass by the Ninja Academy, watching those children of her age performing basic training; she could learn a bit herself and practice when she had time.
She was doing this intentionally for those watching in the shadows, laying the groundwork for her future brilliance so it wouldn't seem abrupt when the time came.