At the Hyuga training grounds, Hinata was in the middle of a sparring match with her cousin Neji. With their Byakugan activated, the two cousins exchanged blows and maneuvered around each other in swift rapid movements. Hinata tried to keep up as much as she could, but, ultimately, it was Neji who delivered the decisive blow, knocking her to the ground.
"Are you alright?" Neji asked as he offered his hand to Hinata.
"Y...Yes, I'm fine," Hinata replied. She accepted Neji's hand and he pulled her back up to her feet.
"You're getting a lot better," said Neji.
"Mmm...thank you," said Hinata.
Though she appreciated Neji's words, she wasn't sure how much she believed them. For years, Hinata had been plagued by self-doubt due in no small part to her father perceiving her as a pathetically weak ninja and her crushing defeat by Neji in the chunin exams. Thankfully, things had gotten better in the last year or so. Her father had begun to appreciate her in a new light and Neji had let go of his bitter hatred towards her and the Main Branch and now acted like a true loving cousin. But still, Hinata couldn't let go of the nagging feeling that she may not be suited to the life of a ninja.
While she had recently been promoted to chunin, Neji had still managed to stay a step ahead of her by being promoted to jonin. And, as this most recent sparring session had demonstrated, he truly was the superior fighter. Of course, being in the shadow of Neji wasn't so bad, but Hinata just had this nagging feeling that her skills really weren't improving. That perhaps she had reached her limit and that, therefore, she could not be relied on.
"Hey," Neji said, noticing Hinata was quite distracted. "I know things seem hard, but trust me when I say that I know you have great potential as a ninja. You're a lot stronger than you think you are."
Hinata was quite taken aback by Neji's words. She didn't expect to hear such kindness from him. She was truly grateful for his praise and did assuage her concerns somewhat. But...still...
"Hinata!" a voice cried.
Hinata turned around and saw that it was her father that had called her.
"Come at once," he said. "The Hokage has a mission for you."
---
Having been summoned by Tsunade, Hinata stood alongside Sakura, Ino, and Tenten. They were all gathered before the Hokage to receive their mission briefing.
“There has been a report of a rogue ninja that may prove to be a threat to a neighboring village,” Tsunade explained. “Apparently, the ninja has stolen an ancient artifact of some great power. Your mission is to capture the ninja alive if possible, and return the stolen artifact.”
“Yes, Tsunade-sama,” Hinata and the others replied in unison.
“As for the team leader,” Tsuande said. “Since this is an A-rank mission, and due to potential danger involved, I have contacted the Sand Village and recruited Temari to act as team leader. Is that all understood?” Tsunade asked
“Yes, Tsunade-sama,” Hinata and the others replied again.
“Good,” Tsunade said. “You will meet with Temari outside the village in one hour. After that, you’ll straight for the Village Hidden Amongst the-”
---
“FOOD?!” Ino cried. “What kind of a name is that for a village?”
“Now, Ino,” Tenten said. “Tsunade said they’re a very respected village. Some of the world’s best cuisine has come from them.”
Ino sighed. “Yeah, I guess,” she said. “So how much longer till we get there?”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer now,” Temari said. “Hinata?”
Hinata nodded and activated her Byakugan. Though the village was impossible to see to normal eyes, Hinata could see it clear as day and, as Temari had said, they weren’t too far from it.
“We’re coming up on it soon,” Hinata said. “It shouldn’t be more than another 10 or 15 minutes.”
The group had been traveling for close to three hours and, understandably, they were all getting a little anxious. Hinata, for her part, was still feeling a bit doubtful. It was reassuring that the Hokage had selected her for this mission, and that she would have her friends to depend on, but also she hoped she wouldn't let her and her friends down. But Hinata knew she couldn't think like that. She had to stay positive and believe in her own abilities. Of course, that was easier said than done.
