Ay yo Its ya stanky boi back with another chapter. Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
After the disappointment from the Big Event well and truly set in, the girls trudged their way back home. Sakura was once more faced with her immense tiredness from carrying Ino down the monument, but at least her strength level was close to levelling up she supposed. Trudging along slowly, Ino was walking slightly ahead of her. Ino was trying to hide her disappointment after unleashing all her frustration on Shisui but she was doing a terrible job at it.
The girls soon passed the Academy, making Ino stop and stare for a bit. She suddenly turned around to face Sakura, a fire burning bright in her eyes. "Let's make up for those stupid 75 points and become badasses before we even hit the Academy!" Ino declared. Sakura smiled tiredly "I'd say we're well on our way then." she said softly.
Before they could continue on their path back home, they got stopped in their tracks when a slap ran out across the area, followed by a pained cry. Ino, smelling the bullies from miles away, changed her directory and stomped over to the suspected place of the crime.
Sakura smiled tiredly as she heard Ino go on a tirade, chasing the bullies away. She sluggishly made her way over to the treeline next to the Academy, but Ino and another girl popped out before she could reach the destination. The girl looked much like Sakura did before she met Ino, shy and withdrawn.
"Sakura, this is Hinata-chan, Hinata-chan, this is Sakura." Ino said proudly puffing her chest out at another victory. Hinata softly bowed before muttering something unintelligible. Sakura leaned in closer to hear her better, and Hinata squeaked out an apology before repeating her former sentence "J-Just Hinata is fine." she softly stuttered out. Sakura nodded, smiling as softly as she could through her exhaustion.
Wordlessly, Ino lead them towards the Haruno household, putting their frustration and disappointment on the back burner.
When faced with the sight of her sweet home, Sakura moaned in delight as she dove inside to raid the pantry for any pre-dinner snacks, washing up quickly as well. Hinata looked nervously between Sakura and Ino before softly asking "I-Is she ok?" Ino laughed before responding "Just had a rough day."
When Sakura looked slightly more alive, the girls got caught up with friendly chatter in Sakura's room.
"I met Hinata a few times before, but I didn't know she was being bullied!" Ino said, gesturing wildly "If I'd known I would've helped you earlier, be sure to tell me next time ok!" she finished, giving Hinata an oddly motherly look. Hinata turned slightly red, nodding furiously.
"Good! Now Sakura, should we officially initiate Hinata into our group?" Ino dramatically said while Hinata looked nervous at the seemingly grand gesture. Sakura nodded softly, pulling up the party interface. Even though she had only met Hinata a mere hour ago, she was sure they'd become great friends as well. Call it gut instinct. "Invite: Hinata." Sakura uttered, and swiftly heard Hinata gasp in shock.
Sakura was surprised to see the veins around Hinata's eyes bulge, before reminding herself of the great Hyuuga clan. It was a proudly held power after all. Hinata still seemed to have a bit of trouble adjusting, so Sakura led them downstairs to the game console to familiarise Hinata with the concept of video games. While Sakura was booting up the console, Ino whispered a whole info dump towards Hinata, mindful to make sure Sakura's parents wouldn't hear them from the kitchen.
Right on cue, Kizashi Haruno walked in, smiling widely at the small huddle of guests that had formed in the living room. "Good to see you again Ino! And I don't think we've met before?" he inquired towards Hinata.
Sakura had drowned their interactions out for the most part, focused on setting up the game and planning out how to integrate Hinata into their party. Her mind was going god knows how many kilometres per hour before Ino poked her cheek to call her back to life. Sakura looked up to see that Ino and Hinata already created their spots on the couch, her father just walking in to bring some snacks for them. Kizashi cackled softly "Introducing more people to your addiction are you, flower?" he gestured towards Hinata.
Sakura blushed lightly puffing her cheeks out "It's not an addiction." her father merely laughed in response "Your mom and I will be in the kitchen cooking dinner, your friends are welcome to stay if they want to.".
Hinata suddenly startled sat up straighter "Father was already expecting me home a while ago..." she trailed off, obviously nervous. As if on cue the doorbell rang, Kizashi going to open the door. The girls couldn't hear what was being said, but Kizashi's loud boisterous laughter was hard to miss. Soon after said laughter, Kizashi entered back in with another older Hyuuga.
"Hinata-sama, you are allowed to stay for one more hour before I need to take you back." the man said curtly. Hinata nodded quickly, eager to have the opportunity to stay with her new found friends. The man bowed before leaving again, probably to wait around the area before Hinata had to go. Sakura smiled at her dad, grateful for whatever he had done.
"Kizashi! Stop bothering the kids!" Mebuki yelled, popping around the doorframe leading towards the kitchen. "Alright, alright. Coming dear!" Kizashi responded back, still in a jovial mood.
As soon as Kizashi left, Ino started back up "So, as I was saying, Sakura just woke up and got these awesome powers! But we both have this special thing as well, obviously because I'm so amazing, but- hey! You have one as well!" Ino all but yelled, making Sakura shush her friend.
Sure enough, when Sakura opened up Hinata's stat interface, she had a special flower role as well.
【❀】HYUUGA HINATA \\ LV. 3【❀】
【RANK: CIVILIAN】
【OCCUPATION: NONE】
【AGE: 6】
【TRAITS: THE FREESIA \\ HYUUGA】
【❀】STATS【❀】
【STRENGTH: 3】
【PRECISION: 6】
【ENDURANCE: 1】
【CHARISMA: 1】
【INTELLIGENCE: 4】
【AGILITY: 3】
【LUCK: 1】
【❀】TRAIT: THE FREESIA【❀】
【 THE FREESIA IS ONE OF THE BLESSED FLOWERS. DESPITE THEIR FRAGILE BEAUTY, THE FREESIA IS A STRONG-WILLED FLOWER, PROTECTING THEIR FRIENDS AT ALL COST. STRENGTH +2 \\ APTITUDE FOR THE TANK SPECIALISATION 】
Sakura hummed thoughtfully, her plans for Hinata's build expanding. Before she could fall down too far down the rabbit-hole Ino poked her cheek again "Thinking later, introducing first." Ino said simply.
And so, Hinata was added to their fold.
Next day at the Yamanaka household, they spend some time familiarising Hinata with the extent of the gamer ability, and proceeded to tell her about the total failure that was the Big Event ability. Hinata was listening attentively, nodding every now and then to show she was listening.
"So, let's try and think of a speciality for you." decided Ino at last. Sakura nodded eagerly already taking out her notebook. She was scribbling away furiously, before stating her thought process aloud.
"So obviously a tank build is laid out for you, but we will have to think over your other specialisations first." Sakura started. Before she could continue Hinata interrupted her nervously "I-I'm not strong though..." she stuttered, trailing off at the end while bowing her head shamefully. Ino scoffed, making Hinata look up in surprise "I bet you are a badass in the making!" Ino stated "We just need to give you a little confidence, that's all!" Ino said proudly, crossing her arms. Hinata nodded shyly, a blush on her face.
"Ok, Hinata what skills do you already have?" Sakura inquired the girl. Hinata looked shameful again before opening her skill interface.
【❀】HYUUGA HINATA - SKILLS【❀】
【PHYSICAL POWER: LV.3】
【PERCEPTION: LV.6】
【CONDITION: LV.1】
【FLEXIBILITY: LV.2】
【TAIJUTSU: LV.3】
↳【GENTLE FIST: LV.2】
【 MEDICAL: LV.1】
【SEWING: LV.1】
↳【MENDING: LV.2】
【READING: LV.2】
【SOCIAL: LV.1】
Sakura hummed, impressed "A taijutsu specialisation would be most obvious, but at our current dungeon this puts you at a disadvantage." Sakura began thoughtfully "It would be wise to give you a sidearm for the nastier slimes, and kill the easier slimes through taijutsu." Sakura ended, nodding. Hinata in the meantime, was looking increasingly nervous.
Before Hinata could share her insecurities, Ino interrupted "Wait, you know how to sew? That's so cool!" she said excitedly. Hinata blushed "I-I only patch up my training clothes." she said shyly, pointing her fingers together in a nervous habit.
"The medical skill will come in handy as well." Sakura added "Having more healers is never a bad thing." she said smiling, making Hinata blush even harder. "I-I only know how to make some ointments!" Hinata squeaked, covering her blushing face with her hands. Sakura beamed "That's ideal for what we need!". Hinata started to stammer out protests but Ino and Sakura had already labelled her as certified badass.
"So that sewing skill," Ino started "Would you maybe be able to make something with this?" she asked holding out some of the Frost Silk. Hinata grabbed it tentatively, examining it carefully. "Do you perhaps have some needle and thread, Ino?" Sakura asked the girl, Ino wordlessly sprinting inside to find some. Not even a minute later Ino was outside again, holding the needle and thread carefully.
As Hinata took the items, she was ready to protest again but a small cloud of pink dust rose up before she could do so. A pair of light blue gloves laid in her lap.
【❀】FROST SILK GLOVES \\ DEFENCE - +10 \\ 100%【❀】
【 GLOVES MADE OF FROST SILK. THEY PROTECT AGAINST COLD, WHILE ALSO INFLICTING A MINOR PERCENTAGE OF COLD DAMAGE.】
Ino and Sakura looked stunned. This was quite literally the perfect item for Hinata right now. Hinata was trying to process what happened, so Sakura explained "The Gamer ability is limitless." Hinata looked up stunned "The crafting system is very different from real life. I'm pretty sure you know how to make gloves instinctively now right?" Sakura asked Hinata. Hinata was in thought, before startling "How..?" she asked shocked.
Ino stood up, clapping Sakura on the shoulder "That's the magic power of nerd brain here." Ino said playfully, causing Sakura to swat her hand off. Hinata, starting to slowly accept the oddities of the friend group, giggled at the girl's antics. Ino smiled triumphantly at finally making Hinata feel comfortable.
"So, should we go try out those new gloves?" Sakura asked. Hinata still looked nervous, but a tad bit more confident than before. "In any case, we've got your back if anything goes wrong!" Ino said smiling brightly. Nodding slowly, Hinata agreed to the proposal.
And so the trio entered the Shika Glade.
As Sakura was cornering a green slime for Hinata to take on, Ino was speaking words of encouragement while Hinata slipped on her newly crafted gloves. Hinata breathed in deeply, before hesitantly approaching the slime. Activating her Byakugan, she took on the basic stance of the Gentle Fist. Before any more anxiety could swarm the girl, she struck out, fuelled by the support of Ino and Sakura.
The slime promptly perished after the second hit, rewarding the girl with her experience points. Ino and Sakura looked stunned.
"That... that was badass!" Sakura crowed, running up to Hinata to hold her hands. Hinata started blushing furiously again "I-It was nothing!" She managed to stammer out. Sakura was having none of it as Ino joined the excited girl "You just did like pow! And the slime went like splat!" Ino said gesturing wildly. Hinata stammered out many half-finished sentences, her face taking on a brighter red hue. "I think we can go take on a purple slime together!" Sakura cheered after using the cleansing potion of the pile of goo.
The girls proceeded to do so, Ino and Sakura sharing many praises and looks of awe at the shy girl, making Hinata slowly gain the confidence she needed. It was a slow process indeed, but the girl was bound to flourish under the kind guidance.
Sakura's mind never stopped working, always racing through many new ideas and possibilites. Having someone with the sewing skill on their team was a great addition to have. It enabled them to make their own pieces of protective and useful clothing. The more Hinata's skill levelled up, the more she was able to customise.
Hinata had a bit of trouble getting used to the odd crafting system, but was slowly getting a grip on it. She had even started experimenting of her own accord, although she wouldn't share what exactly she was planning saying it was a secret. It made Ino and Sakura even more curious, but they would let Hinata have that little secret. Hinata had also picked up embroidery much to Ino's delight, making her clothing pieces even more customisable and cute.
Hinata hadn't only picked up non-combat skills of course. While she would mainly focus on her Taijutsu, it seemed that clan jutsu had their own place in the skill tree as well. Ino pouted at that, as she wouldn't learn her clan's jutsu until a later age because of the danger associated. Regardless, it was something Ino looked forward to, becoming the quickest to advance in their clan jutsu.
Hinata had thus been able to pick up fancy upgrades to both her Byakugan and Gentle Fist style. Her Byakugan could only see across 15 meters when they met her, but she was already training and upgrading to now reach across 50 meters. It was a staggering amount of progress, something that wouldn't go unnoticed for sure.
Besides her taijutsu, Kizashi had also started teaching Hinata the basics of the tanto, claiming it was just a useful skill to have overall regardless of her taijutsu preference. She also joined the regular sparring sessions of Ino and Sakura, honing their teamwork and skill even more.
Ino was starting to experiment more and more with her poison skill, scaring Sakura slightly. Ino was truly taking on the role of mad scientist, minus the cruelty. Her archery skill was also ever improving, although she had also started to combine her newly acquired stealth skill with it, making her even deadlier. She had also unlocked the basic tracking skill, allowing her to truly become a strong information gatherer for the team.
And Sakura, Sakura had done a lot.
Sakura had been busy trying to unlock as many System points as she possibly could in her parameters. She had thus unlocked the mini-map, bigger party size, larger party distances, and a social system. The social system was an especially useful unlock, allowing the girls to communicate through the gamer interfaces. It allowed them to split up while still holding contact, or to wordlessly communicate when in need of stealth. It also gave them a new addition to their standard interface, showing their party member's basic information plus health-bar.
Sakura had also picked up the tracking skill, allowing her to keep sight over every side of the battlefield. While she was a frontliner, she was also their main strategist for the time being, so it was important for her to know how her team was faring and where they were at. Along with the new mini-map and health-bar, she had access to a whole new slew of information in battle.
Sakura had also focussed on making herself more of a mid-liner now that Hinata took up the tanking role. She had crafted herself a bow as well in case she couldn't jump in on time, and also upped her speed and strength so she would be in and out to deal hopefully tons of damage. She also had taken time to practice her taijutsu more, allowing her to train strength and endurance at once. Along with Hinata's guidance Sakura was making herself a bigger threat on the battlefield.
Her medical skill was still underdeveloped though. Sakura didn't lament this fact, as it meant their team never needed any heavy aid.
Currently though, Sakura was trying to push the limits of her basic crafting skill to no avail. She seemed to only be capable of doing basic things like her crude weapons and makeshift items. When she scrolled through the skill tree she understood why.
There was a separate skill for making weapons called smithing. Sadly this skill was locked, as it had to be learned by traditional means. It sucked hardcore, but as long as the materials weren't too advanced, Sakura was able to craft them weapons for the time being. It was needed, as the weapons she could craft did not last for long. She was on axe number 5? She had lost track.
Currently they hadn't come across new type of slimes which worried Sakura. Just two types? That was... odd to say the least.
Her worries were soon confirmed as a new slime popped up after an afternoon of grinding.
It was hard to miss, a blue slime with spiky protrusions. Sakura immediately called everyone to her side, observing the new enemy with caution. The slime had already noticed them, and with an ungodly scream fired the protrusions, icicles, at the girls. They quickly jumped to the side as the icicles burrowed into the ground. One hit of those and they'd be out for the count.
Hinata was shaking, the adrenaline flowing through her veins. Ino was shaking as well, but for a totally different reason. She was excited.
"Hinata, it's time to experiment!" Ino yelled excitedly, drawing back her first arrow. Sakura grinned, jumping up as well. Hinata got up slowly, cautiously moving over to their side.
It was pretty obvious this was a mutated ice type, making their frost boosted gear useless. Sakura didn't have to think long for a solution.
"Ino," Sakura started, making the girl perk up "Was your fire potion ready yet?" Ino lit up, eagerly opening up her inventory and pulling out a flask. "You bet your butt it is!" Ino yelled confidently.
Ino applied the concoction to one of her arrows, before firing it into the ice slime. It screeched, more icicles launching out, as a good 25% of its health got drained instantly. The girls smiled, before Ino sadly announced "That was my only fire potion though."
Sakura turned around to the girl "Do you think you can brew some more while Hinata and I distract it?" Ino nodded confidently at the other girl, quickly moving to cover and taking out her brewing gear.
Hinata was shaking slightly, but Sakura laid a comforting hand on her shoulder "We got this alright, I got your back!" Sakura exclaimed confidently. Hinata inhaled deeply before smiling back, squashing down her fear and anxiety.
Sakura started the fight by aiming one of her own arrows at the monster. Its attention turned towards her, roaring and firing icicles her way. She dodged and weaved through them all, slowly approaching the monster. In the meantime, Hinata had snuck up behind the large slime, striking out with her gentle fist. When the slime turned around, she blocked an icicle protrusion with her wooden training tanto gifted by Kizashi. While the monster was focused on Hinata, Sakura delivered another blow with her axe from the other side.
The girls would slowly continue to chip away at its health. Sakura saw Hinata's confidence bloom as she tried out some riskier moves. One caused her to almost slip, but Sakura was instantly there to support her. A good five minutes later Ino jumped back into the clearing, firing another fire coated arrow.
The beast roared instantly rearing its head towards her. Hinata parried another icicle aimed at Ino, even managing to grab one out of the air and launch it back. Sakura and Ino gaped at the girl, the sheer amount of badassery flying over her own head.
Ino shook her head before handing a flask to Hinata and Sakura "Finishing blows are for you guys." she said, smiling brightly. Hinata coated her training tanto, while Sakura decided to play safe with an arrow. Ino covered Hinata as she moved closer to the slime, while Sakura aimed her fire coated arrow straight through its head.
The creature let out another screech, more icicles launching out. Ino shot as many out of the air as she could, while Sakura bolted in closer next to Hinata to cover her weak spots. Hinata took this moment as her opportunity to strike, carving her training tanto straight through the creature.
The slime roared, before dying.
The girls smiled, about to cheer for their victory, when more slimes showed up. The majority were the usual green type, with a few purples, and one more blue one.
"Ino, did you make more fire potions?" Sakura asked, slightly nervous. Ino grinned back confidently "I sure did!" she said smugly, handing more flasks to the girls.
"Alright, let's go!" Sakura cheered, the girls following her into the battle.
The girls tumbled out into the Yamanaka backyard, utterly exhausted. Ino, forever the energetic type, bounced up excitedly though
.
"Hinata! You were such a badass out there today!" Ino all but screamed at her. The girl in question flinched at the loud volume, before registering the compliment and blushing furiously.
Today's trip had left little room for rest, only giving the girls time to properly calm down now. Because of that, it seemed Hinata had turned into a fierce protective warrior. She had seemingly lost her fear for that time, only focusing on keeping both herself and her friends safe from any danger. She had even tanked a few hits, noticeable by the acid burn on her arm, and a small scratch from an icicle on her cheek.
Sakura started tending to the girl while Ino kept raining praises on her, the girl back into her shy stuttering self. Sakura herself was truly impressed with her performance that day. It was better than she could have ever imagined. Hinata was truly a talented girl, she just wasn't able to see so herself.
Sakura patted Hinata's shoulder after finishing her care "You truly were amazing out there today Hinata. I have never seen you look so fierce!" Sakura exclaimed, smiling softly. Of course Ino wasn't the only one who would complement her today.
Hinata, relenting to the sheer positivity the girls radiated, nodded shyly before covering her face with her hands. Ino came over to hug the adorable girl, dragging Sakura with her, who was deep in thought.
Sakura had admittedly held a bit back with Hinata's training plan and skill tree, not wanting to overwhelm the girl too much, but it seemed she didn't have to worry. Hinata was made of tougher material than she realised.