Hearing Ryuku's voice, Kiba and Hinata looked at their team leader and did as they were told.
"Wait, let me guess," Kiba suddenly said with a wide smile, "You got a plan, right?"
Hinata stared at the gray-haired boy, eyes almost shining. "Really?" she asked.
"Well, yeah..." Nodding, Ryuku explained, "Now, listen... We have a maximum of three hours, but with my plan, we can finish it in half that time. But to do that, we need to work separately in three steps."
"What steps?" Kiba asked.
Akamaru and Hinata also listened attentively.
Seeing them all serious, Ryuku showed a small smile and answered, "First is taking the trees down, which will be my job, because you guys don't have any powerful means to work fast and efficiently. So leave that part to me... Second is cutting the trees into even logs, which will be Hinata's job using her Gentle Fist. She can break them easily with her Taijutsu—"
Hinata suddenly chimed in, "Uhh, I... I think... I can't..." Her voice stuttered.
Since Kiba didn't know how to deal with a girl like Hinata, he stayed quiet and let Ryuku play his team leader part.
Hmm... Damnit, Hiashi... What the fuck did you do to your own daughter to make her this low-esteem loser...
Though the thought lingered, Ryuku met Hinata's pale lavender eyes with his calm violet gaze and gently tried to lift her confidence. "Hinata, how can you say that without even trying? I believe in you—so please, try to believe in your own abilities first, okay?"
Believe in my own abilities...
"Mm..." Her eyes lit up, and she nodded firmly with a hum.
Meanwhile, Kiba also couldn't help but recite his words inwardly. Believe in your own abilities first, huh... That's deep..! Is this guy really my age?
With Hinata's doubt sorted out, Ryuku continued, "So, Hinata will cut the trees into logs. The last step is lodging the logs neatly in the farm. That'll be done by Kiba and Akamaru. Once Hinata and I are done, we'll join you guys too. Anything you want to say, Kiba?"
"Nope, leave the lodging to me and Akamaru! This'll be like training for us!"
"Woof!"
At any rate, the workload had been divided among them by Ryuku, making it much easier to complete the mission well before noon.
Let's get started already…
Since uprooting the trees was his task, Ryuku moved without delay. He stepped deeper into the forest and took a quick look around. The place was dark, with unevenly spaced trees growing thick and wild all over.
Fourty percent chakra should be enough… surely.
Gathering chakra, he expertly concentrated it into his right palm, compressing it with precision. His perfect-level chakra control made the act feel like second nature. Once such mastery was attained, a shinobi could activate techniques or jutsu with minimal effort and nearly zero chakra waste.
Damn… having low reserves is a curse.
Feeling a noticeable dip in his reserves, Ryuku shook his head in quiet amusement. Then, without hesitation, he slammed his palm—not a punch—against the ground.
Instead of digging in and leaving a crater, the controlled force spread across the surface like an impenetrable wave, carrying a frightening sharpness. Dust and loose earth erupted upward, forming a brief cloud. A sharp echo rang out, vibrating from the ground itself.
Across a span of a hundred square meters, the earth softened, and multiple trees began to fall one after another. Their thick trunks had been severed cleanly at the base, as if sliced by a colossal blade.
Just then, one of the falling trees tilted dangerously toward him. Ryuku reacted instantly, vanishing with the Body Flicker Technique. He reappeared high above the ground, watching as the massive tree slammed down where he'd stood moments ago.
A smirk curled his lips as he floated in the air.
So nature transformation can be used like this too, huh…
Right before unleashing his attack, Ryuku had infused his chakra with Wind Release's cutting property. The tweak worked—flawlessly. The result was more than satisfying.
But my palm...
A dull sting spread through his hand. He looked down and saw several shallow cuts scattered across his right palm. Not deep or dangerous, but jagged and numerous—disgusting to even look at.
Because of the wind property?
Sighing, he activated the Mystical Palm Technique and began healing the nasty, zigzag cuts at once.
----
Back near the forest entrance, Kiba and Hinata stared in shock as forty or so trees collapsed almost simultaneously near the center.
"That Ryuku! He really did it..." Kiba grinned, his voice full of awe at his incredible teammate.
Hinata remained silent, lost in her thoughts—her mind focused on whether she could actually do her part right.
Meanwhile, Kurenai lay on her side, propping her head on one hand as she calmly observed the scene.
Uh-huh... I'm not even surprised anymore.
She realized the strangest part was that Ryuku's talent no longer surprised her at all.
My job is to keep them safe. Let's just keep doing that... while resting a little.
She yawned softly, eyes steady as she continued watching her Genin team.
----
After healing his palm, Ryuku returned to the others. He gave Hinata a calm look.
"Hinata, let's go," he said, already heading toward the fallen trees.
"Kiba, you too."
"Ha, coming!" the loud Inuzuka heir replied.
Hinata silently followed, clenching her fists as she steeled her nerves.
She was determined to prove herself—to her teammates, and to herself.
---
"Give it your best, Hinata."
Standing beside one of the fallen trees, the dark-blue-haired girl gave a small nod at her team leader's encouragement. She inhaled deeply a few times, calming her racing heart, before sliding into her stance.
The stance of Gentle Fist.
Unlike the Strong Fist, which relied on brute force and external damage, the Gentle Fist of the Hyūga Clan excelled in precision and internal disruption. It was a deadly Taijutsu art, passed down through generations within the clan.
The key to using it lay in speed and accuracy. With their Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, Hyūga could locate chakra points and the inner network with ease, delivering smooth yet devastating strikes. Gentle Fist wasn't just an offensive technique—it could counter and intercept enemy Taijutsu as well.
Right now, however, Hinata didn't need to fight anyone. All she had to do was strike the fallen trees with precise chakra-infused blows, slicing them cleanly into even logs. It wasn't a difficult task for a Gentle Fist user—unless she was terrible at it too. Thankfully, she wasn't.
"Ha!" Hinata launched a precise palm strike into the tree's thick trunk. The chakra-infused blow struck squarely at the center, breaking the trunk into two pieces.
Fragments of bark and splinters exploded outward, scattering like dust as the tree cracked apart under the force of her strike.
Hinata stared, wide-eyed.
"I... did it..."
Even she seemed surprised by the result.
"Good work, Hinata!!" Kiba shouted, flashing a big thumbs-up.
Ryuku smiled gently and gave her a nod when she glanced over at him, seeking a reaction.
But in his mind, something else played out entirely.
That almost looked like the Hyūga's Vacuum Palm... Hmm, no, the power was far too low. Was it a fluke? Or maybe she's been practicing it secretly and pulled it off without realizing?
Whatever it was, one thing was clear — she was improving. And that was good enough for Ryuku.