Time flowed; for an infant the world was measured in feedings, naps, and slowly sharpening senses.
A month slipped quietly past while Hinata, amid the haze of babyhood, struggled to adapt.
Today was her full-moon ceremony.
In the main hall of the Hyuga Main Family the air was solemn.
Swaddled in fine soft cloth, she was cradled by Lady Hyuga and seated beside the patriarch.
Her father, Hyuga Hiashi, sat upright in the principal seat, delight visible on his face.
Below sat several clan elders and key Main-Family members; their eyes—some curious, some expectant, some weighing—rested on her.
Hinata paid them no mind.
All she wanted was for this tedious rite to finish so she could hurry back and inspect her Novice Gift Pack.
For the past month, besides surviving, she had been counting the days until this moment.
The ritual was simple: the elders spoke blessings and hopes.
It was the usual platitudes—"Inherit the Hyuga's glory," "Let the Byakugan's fame resound," "Diligently train in the Gentle Fist."
Hiashi occasionally nodded, his voice steady.
Hinata, wide pure-white eyes fixed on the people around her, studied them carefully.
She could feel the weight behind those gazes; the mantle of Main-Family heiress had pressed down from birth. In the original story it had nearly crushed that shy little girl.
"Not in this life," she told herself.
She repeated it in her heart.
At last the tedious ceremony neared its end.
She was carried back to her mother's fragrant chamber and gently laid in a cradle lined with soft quilts.
The attendants withdrew; only she and her mother, eyes closed in rest, remained.
"System, claim the Novice Gift Pack!"
Ding! host has survived to the full-moon mark and adapted to this plane's rules. Initial quest 'Adaptation and Survival' completed!
Mission reward released: Novice Gift Pack ×1!
Open immediately?
"Open it! Right now!"
She answered without hesitation.
Novice Gift Pack opening…
Congratulations, host!
1. Basic Cultivation Technique: Basic Qi Introduction Art, Volume I
2. Spiritual Root inspection chance ×1
3. System points: 100
4. Passive skill (trial): Inner Vision (duration: 10 minutes)
A flash of light, and several items appeared in her Sea of Consciousness.
Most striking was a glowing Jade Slip phantom with five ancient characters: Basic Qi Introduction Art.
Beside it hovered a crystal-ball-like orb—clearly the Spiritual Root detector.
Her points jumped from 0 to 100; the 'Inner Vision' became a tiny hourglass icon, ready to activate.
"Inspect my Spiritual Root first!"
That crucial factor determining cultivation Aptitude was her top priority.
Spiritual Root inspection beginning… host, focus your will on the orb.
She obeyed, pouring all attention into the crystal orb.
It slowly spun, radiating soft light; colors began to swirl within.
First a clear watery blue occupied about forty percent—gentle and fluid.
Next vibrant green filled roughly thirty percent, carrying a faint scent of fresh grass.
Then a fiery red, followed by purple.
Inspection complete! host possesses Fire-attribute and Thunder-attribute Spiritual Roots.
Dual roots—and one of them thunder. Probably linked to Hinata's original Chakra nature.
Having read countless cultivation novels, she knew more attributes meant slower progress; a single Heavenly Spiritual Root was the true Genius configuration.
Still, dual roots were decent.
Time to Cultivate the Basic Qi Introduction Art!
Eagerly she focused on the Jade Slip.
It dissolved into a stream of light merging with her consciousness.
A flood of knowledge—how to sense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, draw it in, cycle it through specific Meridians—poured into her mind.
Profound yet strangely familiar, the information felt engraved upon her Soul.
Following the instructions, she calmed her mind, emptied her thoughts, and tried to feel the so-called Spiritual Qi.
At first everything was dark Chaos, broken only by her infant breathing and her mother's steady breaths.
Gradually, under her focused will, the world shifted.
She sensed countless tiny motes of colored light drifting in the air.
Perhaps not pure Spiritual Qi but natural energy—still cultivatable, merely less refined.
Chakra energy, produced by body and spirit, could likely be refined into Spiritual Qi as well.
She struggled to attract and capture those fire and thunder motes.
The process was grueling.
Her will was fragile as a candle in wind; the motes, playful as imps, eluded her grasp.
After who-knew-how-long, a faint cool thread finally slipped into her body under her guidance.
The instant that wisp of Spiritual Qi entered:
Ding! host has drawn Spiritual Qi into the body for the first time. Basic Qi Introduction Art progress: Initiate (0.1%)!
Congratulations, host has officially stepped onto the immortal path (Early Stage of Qi Induction). Reward: 50 points!
Core function 'Legacy Space' unlocked! host may enter with consciousness to study Spells (time ratio 10:1). Note: no Spiritual Qi inside.
Quest List function officially activated!
"Success!"
Indescribable joy flooded her.
Only a sliver of Qi, yet it meant she had set foot on this unprecedented path. And Legacy Space—tenfold time—was a cultivation Divine Artifact!
Suppressing her excitement, she activated the trial Inner Vision.
The hourglass vanished; her perception sank inward.
She saw delicate fragile Meridians, thin strands of Innate Qi slowly flowing, and that new cool blue wisp blending in like a unique droplet, giving a faint strengthening.
System note: Hyuga Bloodline carries a Seal called the caged bird seal. host is Main Family; unaffected.
Hinata knew it well. In a few years a certain Genius would appear and try to suppress her—Neji, later skewered by Obito.
Yet Naruto had forgiven Obito… The ten-minute Inner Vision ended; it felt similar to the Byakugan, perhaps even more convenient.
She withdrew from the vision, weary but hopeful.
With tenfold time in Legacy Space she could polish skills at leisure.
She glanced at the newly opened Quest List; only one entry remained:
Long-term Quest: Ascending the Immortal Path
Objective: Raise cultivation Realm.
Current stage: Qi Refining Layer 0 (0.1%) → Layer 1 (1%)
Stage reward: 200 points, low-tier Spell lottery chance.
A long road lay ahead.
Yet inside the swaddle, unseen, Hinata's lips curved in a tiny smile.
Just wait. When immortal arts descend upon the Ninja World, everything will change.