Winter arrived in the blink of an eye.
A heavy snow began to fall, swirling through the air.
Pristine white blanketed the Village's eaves and alleyways, temporarily hiding much filth and sharpness. Even the oppressive aura seeping from the Uchiha Clan Compound seemed diluted by the cold stillness.
Hinata's days had been calm. Besides cultivating and observing the Uchiha Clan's state, she would slurp down bowls of ramen—her big-eater Physique already showing. Four bowls per meal was standard.
Her cultivation was steadily advancing at Qi Refining Fourth Layer. Her spiritual power grew ever more refined, and her command of lightning-and-fire dual attributes became increasingly effortless.
Now she could faintly coat the tip of a Kunai with a sliver of lightning-attribute spiritual power, so that on impact it delivered a faint numbing effect alongside the stab.
Or she could condense fire-attribute spiritual power in her palm, releasing a brief burst of searing heat the instant she touched a target.
The power was limited and drained her mind fiercely; she had to keep it from showing.
Flaunting Genius was one thing, but revealing a power—and a whole cultivation System—they'd never seen? That would be Hinata begging for interrogation. On the System side, her points finally broke past 1,000 again.
Hinata scrolled carefully through the shop list and spent 800 points to exchange for one [Low-Grade Protective Jade Talisman].
According to the System description, the talisman would trigger automatically, blocking one full-strike from a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator or dispersing several weaker blows. A solid life-saving trump card.
The remaining points she saved for a rainy day.
The New-Year festival atmosphere eased the Village's tension a little.
The Hyuga Clan held a small internal celebration. Clansmen wore formal kimono, bowed and greeted one another; the mood was solemn and traditional.
Hinata, in a pale-purple furisode, quietly followed behind Hiashi, playing the part of a proper main-house Miss.
Her white eyes swept calmly over the gathering.
There were stern main-house Elders, branch-house members respectful yet distant, and Hyuga Neji standing straight with complicated eyes.
Between rites she overheard two branch uncles whispering.
"…The Uchiha side held another secret gathering at Naka Shrine a few days ago."
"Sigh, if they keep this up…"
"No choice. The timing of the Nine-Tails Attack was too strange, and only the Uchiha Clan had the means. Hard not to suspect them."
"That clan's so stubborn—still so arrogant even now."
"Enough. If the Clan Chief hears, we'll be scolded."
Hinata listened without changing expression.
Looks like the Uchiha radicals are growing louder.
But nothing will happen for now.
Probably within a year or two. After this festival she would turn five; in the original story Sasuke was seven at the massacre, so now it might come a little earlier.
When the festival ended Hinata felt it had been pointless—adults offering fake blessings while their eyes brimmed with calculation and suspicion.
The only ones truly happy were probably Neji and the little kids.
The next day Hinata went to the forest edge to practice shuriken throws.
The clan had training grounds, but her situation was special; unless she put on a show, she stayed away.
She tried to attach an almost undetectable thread of spiritual power to each shuriken, boosting stability and faint penetrative force.
Just then a black-haired boy in a dark-blue high-collar coat and grey scarf appeared at the edge of the clearing.
It was Uchiha Sasuke, apparently just finished with his own training, cheeks red from cold, eyes still carrying their trademark seriousness and a hint of loneliness.
Perhaps the recent clan atmosphere weighed on him, or maybe his older brother Uchiha Itachi had grown too busy to spend time with him.
Sasuke saw Hinata throwing shuriken.
He recognized the Hyuga Miss; he'd heard the rumors but didn't think much of them—his own big brother was better.
He watched her shuriken strike the bull's-eye every time—stable, no wasted motion, fast and precise.
Hinata noticed Sasuke but didn't stop or greet him; she'd never spoken to him, only glimpsed him before.
Sasuke watched, drawn by her focus and precision—or perhaps by the Uchiha's inborn competitiveness.
He stepped to the next target, drew his own shuriken, and began to train.
His form was equally standard, edged with the Uchiha Clan's signature sharpness.
Two high-born children, in the silent snow-cleared range, practiced without a word—only the alternating whistle of shuriken and thud of hits forming a wordless contest.
In the end Sasuke's last throw missed the center by a finger's breadth.
He pursed his lips in frustration and glanced toward Hinata.
She had just released her final shuriken, dead center.
She stopped, white eyes meeting his calmly—no pride, no challenge, no expression at all.
Unsettled, Sasuke looked away, gathered his shuriken, and muttered.
"…Not bad. Pretty good."
Whether of her or to comfort himself, then he strode off the field.
Hinata watched his back vanish into the snow, feeling nothing.
"Tsundere Nizhu Zi—but his talent really is excellent."
[Ding! First formal contact with major character Uchiha Sasuke. Points gained: 80!]
Not my scheme—he came on his own… Winter left; spring came; ice and snow melted.
After the brief winter lull, the Uchiha Clan Compound once again felt like a storm about to break.
Hinata could clearly sense the Chakra colors there growing murkier, darker—like a bog bubbling with ill-omened bubbles before the boil.
The final moment was almost at hand.
It seemed it would come early—more than a year ahead of the original. Sasuke hadn't even started school yet.
He would enter the Ninja Academy next year; so would she.
In the original story Sasuke had been aloof in class. With the timeline moved up, who knew how things would play out.