In the Hyuga Clan Compound, Hinata was still cultivating.
On this day, the sun had just set, and the moon was bright while stars were sparse.
Hinata's aura suddenly became extremely active. Within her Dantian, the originally stable Foundation Establishment Dao Foundation emitted a faint hum. Her pure spiritual power surged like a tide, circulating, compressing, and purifying frantically along a more complex and profound route.
The Cultivation Technique of the "Circumference of Heaven Star Art" flowed through her heart. Her Divine Sense seemed to resonate uniquely with the stars in the night sky. Faint bits of starlight, almost imperceptible, penetrated the roof and merged into her body, tempering her bones, Meridians, and Divine Soul.
At a certain moment, it was as if some barrier had been broken!
"Buzz—!"
Late Stage Foundation Establishment!
Feeling the ceaseless, higher-quality star spiritual power within her body, and her Divine Sense, which had expanded its range and become more perceptive, Hinata nodded with satisfaction.
At this rate, condensing a Golden Core shouldn't take much longer.
After her cultivation stabilized, she decided to go for a walk. She didn't have a clear purpose; she just wanted to stretch her limbs and feel the clearer connection between herself and the world after her Breakthrough.
She strolled out of the Hyuga Clan Compound, not intentionally hiding her presence. Like an ordinary villager returning home at night, she wandered through the streets of Konoha, which had not yet fully recovered from the destruction but were already full of life.
As she reached a quiet riverside near the Training Forest, a slightly frivolous yet somewhat solemn voice rang out from a nearby large tree.
"Yo, isn't this our little hero of Konoha? Out for a walk so late? Thinking about the meaning of life in the middle of the night?"
Hinata didn't stop, and her pure white eyes didn't even turn toward the source of the voice.
"I've long heard of your legends, one of the Sannin, Jiraiya."
"Rustle."
A tall figure with white, spiky hair jumped down from the tree; it was indeed one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
A sharp light flashed in his eyes, inconsistent with his expression. He looked Hinata up and down, as if trying to see something in her.
"Oh my, I've been discovered. I was just looking for inspiration for my new book. Beautiful encounters always happen by the riverside at night..."
"[Is that an encounter? I'm embarrassed to even expose you.]"
Jiraiya laughed it off and walked beside Hinata, his tone gradually becoming serious.
"But seriously, thank you for that day, little girl. If it weren't for you, the Third might have really..."
"Haha, maybe if the Third were gone, they'd ask you to be the Hokage," Hinata said with a smile.
Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
"I'm not doing that. Whoever wants that thankless job can have it; I still have books to finish writing."
Hinata looked at him and said somewhat mysteriously.
"I heard the Third has a Crystal Ball that can monitor people from a thousand miles away. After you become Hokage, you could use that to find inspiration."
"Eh? Really? Then wouldn't that mean... hehehe."
At this point, Jiraiya began to laugh somewhat lecherously.
Hinata didn't hide her look of disdain.
Well, disdain aside, if she got her hands on it, she would definitely watch too, hehe... "Ahem, I'm a decent person, how could I do such a thing?"
Jiraiya realized he had lost his composure and immediately spoke with righteous indignation, though it wasn't very convincing.
He stopped, turned to face Hinata, and said seriously.
"Do you love this Village? Do you love Konoha?"
This was a question that hit the core. As a Ninja of Konoha, especially one with such power, loyalty and love for the Village were the top concerns for almost all high-ranking officials.
Hinata also stopped. Her pure white eyes calmly met Jiraiya's searching gaze. Without any hesitation, her cold voice rang out by the silent riverside.
"No."
Two words, crisp and neat, without any dragging or concealment.
Jiraiya fell silent. Although he had expected it, hearing such a direct denial with his own ears still shook his heart.
He stared intently into Hinata's eyes, trying to find a trace of hypocrisy or hesitation, but he only saw a calm and indifference like ancient ice.
"No feelings for Konoha?"
Jiraiya's voice deepened.
"Then why did you save the Third? Why did you step in against Orochimaru? You should have been able to tell that at the time, you could have stayed out of it entirely. In fact, with your power, you might have gained even more."
This was the biggest question in his heart, and in the hearts of many in the Konoha Leadership: why would someone with no sense of belonging to the Village risk saving it?
Hinata looked up slightly at the bright moon in the night sky. Moonlight fell on her delicate profile, as if coating her in a layer of cold silver. She spoke slowly, her voice still flat but carrying an unquestionable absolute ego:
"I saved him because I wanted to. If I didn't want to, no one could persuade me."
She saved him because she could earn a large amount of points. The Third was supposed to die; changing that fact yielded more points.
If she had found it troublesome at the time, or if there were better ways to earn points, she might have watched coldly from the sidelines or even added fuel to the fire.
Her code of conduct was not based on secular morality, responsibility, or emotion, but originated from her own will and interests. It was merely for the sake of maximizing her own benefits.
Transcending external things, following her heart, not being bound by material things—true freedom.
This was precisely the most fundamental difference in mindset and worldview between a cultivator and a Mortal Ninja.
Jiraiya was completely stunned. He looked at the twelve-year-old girl before him and listened to her almost cold yet incredibly real answer, momentarily unsure how to respond.
He had thought of many possibilities—for Family honor, for companions, or even for a deeper hidden ambition—but he never imagined the reason could be so simple and yet so domineering.
Jiraiya opened his mouth, but it finally turned into a complex sigh.
He understood. Using common sense, the Will of Fire, or the bonds of the Village, it was impossible to bind or understand this girl. She walked her own path.
"I see..."
Jiraiya rubbed his brow, and the cynical smile returned to his face, though a trace of gravity remained deep in his eyes.
"What an extraordinary kid. Oh well, as long as you don't become an enemy of Konoha, think whatever you like. After all, the fact that you saved Konoha remains."
He waved his hand and turned to walk away unsteadily, humming an out-of-tune little ditty, as if the heavy conversation just now had never happened.
Hinata watched Jiraiya's retreating back, her expression unchanged.
To love or not to love, to save or not to save—to her, these were just matters of a single thought.
Does it matter whether others understand or not?
She turned and continued strolling along the riverside.
"[Engaged in a philosophical clash with Sannin Jiraiya, clearly articulated your own Dao Heart. Gained points: 1500.]"
"[Current point balance: 7550.]"
"[Evaluation: For those with a firm heart, there is a path to heaven ahead. With a will as solid as a rock, the Dao opens itself.]"
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