Chapter 2: Cue the New Episode!

Before dawn, Hinata Hyūga woke up.

She tidied her long hair; because her younger sister Hanabi had once said she liked her long hair, Hinata had never cut it since childhood.

“Hanabi, are you practicing again?”

In the courtyard of the Hyūga mansion, her twin sister was practicing against a wooden stake.

She wore simple training clothes, her long hair tied into a ponytail.

Although her eyes were covered by black gauze, her field of vision seemed completely unrestricted.

But no matter how fluid Hanabi’s movements were, Hinata knew a cruel fact: her sister could see nothing.

“If it weren’t for her blindness, Lady Hanabi would be the more likely heir…”

“Indeed. I heard she was too young for a transplant, and Neji didn’t receive the Caged Bird seal so he could be a donor when he comes of age. But Lady Hanabi said she didn’t want to deprive others of their light. What a good child, so outstanding, yet…”

Voices drifted from the surroundings. The fluttering black gauze before Hanabi’s eyes made Hinata’s heart tremble slightly.

It was all her fault.

“Hanabi…”

It happened on their third birthday.

At that time, the Hidden Leaf Village was negotiating with envoys from the Hidden Cloud Village. Most of the important figures in Konoha were attending the meeting, except for the Hyūga family.

Because the Hyūga family was celebrating the third birthday of the main house’s twins.

It was during the practice match that day that a member of the branch house revealed killing intent toward her and Hanabi, and was subsequently punished by the activation of the Caged Bird seal.

Hinata was terrified at the time. Seeing her like that, Hanabi quietly took her elder sister and snuck out of the Hyūga mansion. Because of the peace talks, the village was very lively.

– Then, that incident occurred.

The Head Ninja of the Cloud Village had long set his sights on the main house’s heir for the Byakugan. Noticing Hanabi, who was being targeted, she allowed herself to be taken hostage to protect Hinata.

To prevent the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands, Hanabi blinded her own eyes.

Later, it was said that Father personally rescued Hanabi, and the Head Ninja who kidnapped her was even captured alive.

From the perspective of the Hidden Leaf, this was actually a good thing, as it meant they gained significant leverage in the negotiations with the Hidden Cloud.

But for Hinata, it was not so. Although her father and the elders had issued a gag order, Hinata still heard that the Cloud Ninja’s initial target was actually her…

“Good morning, Elder Sister.” Hanabi seemed to sense Hinata nearby. Even though she couldn’t see, it was as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

“G-Good morning, Hanabi.” Hinata’s voice was timid.

“Did someone make you unhappy, Elder Sister?” Hanabi smiled.

“No. Um, the graduation exam is coming up soon.” Hinata felt conflicted.

Both sisters were studying at the Konoha Ninja Academy.

Despite being unable to see, Hanabi had not given up on becoming a ninja. Her performance was even exceptional, ranking first in the school for written exams.

This was the reason for the “pity” expressed in the earlier discussions among the Hyūga family members.

“Hmm, no problem at all.” Hanabi smiled, her smile incredibly brilliant. But the more brilliant her sister’s smile was, the more Hinata felt as if her heart was being gripped by something.

“Um, shall we go to school together?” Hinata asked.

“No, I’ll practice a bit longer. There aren’t any classes before the exam anyway, so I might as well continue self-study.”

“Mm… okay. See you at school then.”

“Mm. See you at school, Elder Sister~”

Hinata fled.

“Hmm, I feel a little sorry for Elder Sister~”

Hanabi watched Hinata’s retreating figure.

Blind?

Of course, that was impossible.

However, making others think she was “blind” was acceptable.

It was simple because the transformation ability of [Fool’s Mask] was more powerful than any Transformation Jutsu in the Naruto world. Turning into “Hanabi with blinded eyes” was no problem at all.

The real difficulty was stealing screen time from her sister Hinata.

In the original work, Hinata Hyūga was kidnapped at the age of three, but the moronic Cloud Head Ninja was caught by the clan leader, Hiashi Hyūga, right after leaving the Hyūga mansion.

Going to the Hyūga house, home of the all-seeing Byakugan, to kidnap someone was as ridiculous as putting a blindfold on a Byakugan user.

Therefore, Hanabi had meticulously planned the scheme to sneak Hinata out of the mansion, hide her, and then get caught herself.

After reincarnating into this world, Hanabi began her setup.

But she immediately discovered that trying to modify the so-called “plot” was not easy.

However, Hanabi was not one to admit defeat.

After some research, Hanabi understood the general situation.

The so-called “plot” was more like something akin to “Fate.” This thing wasn’t truly unchangeable, but it required “Cause and Effect.” Or rather, antecedents and consequences.

For example, if Hanabi went directly to find Haku to recruit Zabuza’s subordinate, it wouldn’t work; she would encounter resistance from Fate. Because from any angle, it was impossible for Hanabi Hyūga to know of “Haku’s” existence.

In mathematical terms, without necessary and sufficient conditions, a conclusion cannot be reached.

But if Hanabi wanted to replace Hinata Hyūga in Team 8, that was possible, because she was a child of the Hyūga family and was more outstanding than Hinata.

“In other words, whatever I do, I need a ‘reason’.”

She couldn’t do things inexplicably.

Theoretically, finding Haku was possible, as long as there was a plausible “reason.”

“In that case, if I can roleplay as the ‘Sparkle’ from Honkai: Star Rail, perhaps it might work.”

The character Sparkle from Star Rail, who shared her name, was an ultimate thrill-seeker.

And a major characteristic of a thrill-seeker (Masked Fool) is that no matter when or where this character appears, it makes complete sense.

To influence “Fate” on a larger scale, she needed to make herself a more important supporting character, or even a protagonist.

It was just like filming a movie.

If a big-shot lead actor (Son of the Plane) wants to change the script, the director (Fate) has to coax them. But if an extra wants to change the script, the director kicks them over: “Punk, act if you want, get out if you don’t.”

However, Hanabi also found that while influencing others might be difficult, if she was just messing around with herself, it was much more lenient.

Because this was part of her “character setting.”

Since she couldn’t torment others, she would torment herself.

Aside from that, she could take advantage of their childhood to grind some affinity points with the Son of the Plane, Naruto Uzumaki. This was the simplest part; treat him to a bowl of Ichiraku Ramen, and his affinity would shoot up.

Hanabi practiced for a while longer until a female ninja wearing a Konoha forehead protector and a maid outfit walked over:

“Lady Hanabi, it is almost time.”

This was the maid, Natsu Hyūga. After the kidnapping incident at age three, Hiashi Hyūga assigned a maid, Natsu, to take care of Hanabi.

“Mm, okay.”

With Natsu’s help, Hanabi showered and changed into a set of red Furisode kimono.

Hanabi always dressed gorgeously, just like her name, like brilliant fireworks. Although such a kimono wasn’t suitable for movement, it was common enough in the Hyūga household. Moreover, Hanabi had liked such flashy, splendid attire since childhood, so those around her were used to it.

However, today’s outfit wasn’t a standard kimono, but the Dimensional Stage’s [Performance Costume]. The show was about to start, so naturally, she had to wear her stage outfit.

“Thank you, Sister Natsu.”

“Do you really not need me to escort you?” Natsu was somewhat worried.

“I’m about to become a ninja, you know. Sister Natsu.” Hanabi smiled.

The [Character Template] brought Hanabi not only paper abilities but also the character’s potential.

Potential wasn’t strength itself, but through Hanabi’s maniacal daily training, this potential allowed her to possess considerable combat power.

Jingliu’s 10% cultivation speed boost allowed Hanabi to be one-tenth faster than others. Combined with jutsu like the Shadow Clone, the efficiency of her improvement was astonishing.

But Sister Natsu remained very worried because what Hanabi “lost” was not just the Byakugan, but her entire vision. For the Hyūga clan, without eyes, combat power was practically cut in half. Although Hanabi’s grades were excellent, once she truly became a ninja, she would still be in more danger than others.

“But…”

“Come now, Sister Natsu, I trained a little long today, so I’m already late.”

Natsu intended to say more, but Hanabi had already cut her off.

After changing into the kimono, Hanabi checked her current attributes.

[Name: Hanabi Hyūga]

[Stage Evaluation: Extra]

[Current Series Positioning: Secondary Supporting Character LV1]

[Identity: Hidden Leaf Village, Ninja Academy Student]

[Special]

[Hyūga Clan: +5% Attention when wearing Japanese-style clothing, +5% Attention when using Gentle Fist in combat, +5% Attention when using Byakugan]

[Current Popularity Points: 0]

[Current Attention: +65%
(Black Blindfold +10%)
(Red-colored Japanese-style Attire +10%)
(Supporting Role LV +20%)
(Hyūga Clan Japanese-style Clothing +5%)
(Secondary Supporting Character LV1)]

[Opening Countdown: 00 Hours 20 Minutes 50 Seconds]

– It’s about to start.

Arriving at the entryway, Hanabi glanced at the shoes laid out. She had quite a few pairs, mostly wooden clogs (geta) and straw sandals (zori).

“Let me think, I’ll wear this pair today.”

Hanabi chose a pair of black-lacquered Komachi geta with cherry blossom designs. A Furisode kimono is usually paired with zori, which can be seen as leather-soled clogs. However, the Naruto world didn’t have so many strict rules, and mix-and-match styles were common; as long as it looked good, it was fine. The [Performance Costume] came with a pair of zori, but Hanabi planned to switch to those after graduation to add a bit of “detail” to herself in the series.

Opening a red umbrella to shield herself from the somewhat glaring sunlight, and taking out the Fool’s Fox Mask to cover half her face, Hanabi left the mansion.

She had trained for a long time today, so after bathing and changing, school had actually already started.

But Hanabi did it on purpose.

Not only was she intentionally late, but after leaving the mansion, the way she walked to school with her umbrella looked more like a stroll than a commute. She gazed at the Hokage Rock not far away; the ninjas on the monument had already been defaced beyond recognition with paint.

“I wonder what exactly will happen once it starts.”

Hanabi had been waiting for the curtain to rise on the stage.

As a dedicated and responsible actor, Hanabi had never wasted a single shred of her “training time.” She trained desperately every day, forgetting to eat and sleep.

I, Hanabi Hyūga, am a professional and diligent actor. I am the rising star of the Dimensional Stage.

Then, the panel in her consciousness finally reached the end.

[Opening Countdown… 3… 2… 1… Start]

A small screen appeared in Hanabi’s consciousness. It seemed to be a moon, accompanied by a narrator’s voice.

“Once upon a time, a demon fox appeared.”

“The fox had nine tails; when the tails moved, mountains crumbled and tsunamis rose.”

“The people suffered greatly, thus they gathered ninjas…”

“One of them risked his life to seal it, and the ninja perished as a result.”

“The name of this ninja was the Fourth Hokage—”

The flashback image faded away.

[Ninja Road, Opening]

[Current Broadcast Mode: Livestream]

The scene shifted, and then, Naruto Uzumaki carrying a paint bucket appeared in the frame.

Naruto, the story, had begun.

“Hmm?”

Hanabi noticed that scrolling text began to appear on her screen.

[First!]

[Woohoo, new series let’s go!]

[Where the dream began.]

[Fire tongs Liu Ming (Front row placeholder), Fire tongs Liu Ming!]

[Family, it’s been so long since I’ve seen a long-running anime. It’s the year 4202, finally, we can watch a long-running serialization again!]

“There are actually bullet comments.” Hanabi scanned these comments with interest.

The tone of these people was no different from the netizens of her original world, but they seemed to have genuinely never seen Naruto.

Perhaps the ACG culture in the netizens’ world was different from her past life?

“Naruto!”

“Stop, Naruto!”

“How could you do such a heaven-defying thing!”

“We won’t let you off today!”

Hanabi looked up.

These were lines from the playback window of the Dimensional Popularity Stage, but Hanabi heard them in the real world too. In fact, Hanabi had already followed the sound and spotted Naruto being chased.

Naruto landed right next to her, pulling up a camouflage cloth to evade the Chunin.

The same scene appeared in the playback window, except the “camera” angle was slightly different from hers.

Without a second word, [Camera Card – Close-up], Activate!

Real-time actions tested hand speed considerably, but facts proved Hanabi’s use of the close-up card was perfectly timed.

As Naruto dodged the Chunin, the image in the playback window began to shift onto her.

The camera panned from the bottom up: first, the bright black lacquer of the Komachi high-heeled geta, then the feet wrapped in white socks stepping on that black lacquer.

Next, the image continued upward to the bright red Furisode kimono, blooming just like fireworks. The camera circled Hanabi, revealing the large bow on her sash.

The lens continued to rise; long black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, but the young girl’s face was obscured by the red oil-paper umbrella, revealing only a string of gorgeous cherry blossom ornaments hanging from her hair.

“Naruto?”

A pleasant voice came from behind the umbrella.

However, just when the audience thought they would catch a glimpse of her beauty, they discovered that her face was still covered by a fox mask.

Closing the umbrella and gently removing the mask, that beautiful face was finally presented before the audience.

Closing the umbrella and gently removing the mask, that beautiful face was finally presented before the audience.

Furisode: A style of kimono with very long, flowing sleeves, typically worn by unmarried young women.

Geta: Traditional Japanese wooden sandals raised on “teeth” (slats).

Komachi Geta: A specific style of women’s geta, often with a curved base, considered more elegant.

Zori: Flat straw sandals, more formal than geta.

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