Mission Reward, Byakugan

Ichiraku Ramen Shop.

"I'm full, thanks for the meal!"

Might Guy stood up and said, "Beizawa, if you still want to learn taijutsu, you can come find me."

"Alright."

Beizawa agreed without hesitation.

"I'll go meet that Rock Lee you mentioned."

A smile spread across Might Guy's face as he spoke.

"See you next time."

Beizawa gave a slight nod.

He watched Might Guy walk away, wondering to himself if this had changed Rock Lee's fate.

Would someone who learned the Eight Inner Gates six years early still end up getting shut down when he met Gaara of Sunagakure?

"I'm full too, Teacher Beizawa."

Hinata Hyuga set down her chopsticks and said.

The large bowl of Chashu Ramen in front of her had been completely cleaned out.

"Teuchi, another bowl."

Beizawa glanced at her and said.

"You eating?"

Teuchi poked his head out and asked.

"Not me. It's for Hinata."

Beizawa smiled and said.

"Huh?"

Teuchi instinctively looked at Hinata Hyuga.

"I..."

Hinata Hyuga suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. She wanted to refuse, but didn't know how to say it.

"Hinata."

Beizawa reached out and pinched her cheek, asking, "Tell me honestly, are you full?"

"No... not really."

Hinata Hyuga's heart trembled, her face flushing slightly as she spoke.

"Well... you can't judge a book by its cover."

Teuchi muttered with a sigh and went back into the kitchen.

A moment later, he brought out a second bowl of Chashu Ramen.

Under Beizawa's gaze, Hinata Hyuga blushed and picked up her chopsticks.

Though she was very shy, she still maintained her good upbringing and ate with perfect grace.

Ten minutes later, the second bowl of Chashu Ramen was successfully downed.

"Teuchi, another bowl."

Beizawa called out.

Hinata Hyuga pressed her lips together, the blush on her face growing more pronounced.

It was the first time someone had discovered her secret of being a big eater.

"Chakra is a product of mixing physical energy and mental energy."

Beizawa said reassuringly, "Being able to eat is a good thing."

Just then, four lines of text appeared before his eyes.

[You have seen through your deskmate's secret. As Class Leader, you should help her while keeping it confidential.]

[Current Mission: Feed your deskmate Hinata Hyuga until she voluntarily reveals the secret.]

[Mission Reward: Byakugan.]

[Do you accept?]

Beizawa's pupils contracted.

He had already completed quite a few missions, but the rewards had always been basic ninjutsu.

Still, for an ordinary chunin like him, that counted as a boost in strength.

But this mission was completely different.

The Byakugan—there was no doubt it was worth a fortune.

In the ninja world, there was an Underground Black Market where bounties for the Sharingan and Byakugan started at tens of millions of ryo.

Because of the Caged Bird Seal, the Byakugan was even more expensive—a complete pair was worth no less than an Asuma Sarutobi.

After all, in the ninja world, eyes were plug-and-play.

Though the Byakugan couldn't really be upgraded, even an ordinary pair was a massive boost.

Farsight, X-ray vision, and insight—enough to skyrocket Teacher Beizawa's power.

If he also learned the Gentle Fist, rising to Jonin would be a breeze.

"Hinata, eat as much as you want. Teuchi and I will keep your secret."

Beizawa snapped back to reality and said seriously.

"Keeping a customer's secret is basic professional ethics."

Teuchi nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

Hinata Hyuga picked up her chopsticks and started on her third bowl of ramen.

Time passed slowly.

In the end, Hinata Hyuga ate seven bowls of ramen.

Much less than in the original story, since she was still pretty young now.

Teuchi clicked his tongue in amazement.

If it weren't for her Byakugan, he'd have suspected she was a child of the Akimichi Clan.

But as a ramen shop owner, he welcomed big eaters like her.

"Hinata, how was this morning?"

Beizawa and Hinata Hyuga left the Ichiraku Ramen Shop and headed toward the Ninja Academy.

Hinata Hyuga fell silent at the question.

For a moment, she didn't know how to answer.

To her, this had been the most rebellious morning of her life.

Skipping class, climbing walls, eating bowl after bowl of ramen.

Thrilling—but even more than that, it was the freedom of shedding her restraints.

"It felt... really happy."

Hinata Hyuga's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

Beizawa almost didn't catch what she said.

They reached the door of First Year Class A.

"Hinata, see you next period."

Beizawa paused, then smiled. "Today's special training was very effective. Keep it up tomorrow."

Hinata Hyuga felt her face flush.

She nodded, then turned and fled into the classroom.

It was lunch break now, and quite a few students were dozing at their desks.

"Hinata."

Ino Yamanaka looked up at the sound of movement. "Where'd you go?"

In her mind, Hinata Hyuga was a total goody-two-shoes.

Who would've thought she'd become the first student in the whole class to skip class?

"I... I went out with Teacher Beizawa for a bit."

Hinata Hyuga stammered.

"Teacher Beizawa?"

Ino Yamanaka straightened her soft waist, even more curious.

"N-nothing much. Just went to learn some taijutsu."

Hinata Hyuga buried her face in her arms. "Good afternoon."

Ino Yamanaka looked thoughtful.

Was he giving them private lessons behind everyone's back?

But she didn't really think Beizawa was that kind of teacher.

The afternoon came.

Beizawa stood on the training ground, explaining Kunai Throwing techniques.

They'd moved from fixed targets to moving ones—the difficulty had shot through the roof.

But for clan students like Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuga, it was still extremely simple.

They had already mastered it before starting school.

Soon, the students were split into two groups.

Those who successfully hit the moving targets began free activities.

Sasuke Uchiha, like last class, went to find that tree to practice chakra control.

Beizawa quickly followed.

"Hey, wanna go check it out?"

Ino Yamanaka noticed Beizawa and Sasuke Uchiha's unusual behavior.

"No."

Shikamaru Naru lay sprawled on the grass, completely unwilling to move.

Choji Akimichi didn't answer, busy eating chips.

"Hinata, let's go."

Ino Yamanaka grabbed Hinata Hyuga's small hand and said.

As for Sakura Haruno, she was still practicing kunai throwing.

Her talent was decent among civilian ninjas, but she wasn't from a ninja clan and hadn't trained as a ninja beforehand.

"Huh?"

Hinata Hyuga's face showed hesitation.

She was indeed a little curious, but more than that, she feared upsetting Beizawa.

Seeing this, Ino Yamanaka directly pulled her forward.

Before long, they reached the destination and found Sasuke Uchiha climbing a tree.

"Since you two are here, train together."

Beizawa noticed them and spoke.

"Teacher Beizawa."

Ino Yamanaka stepped out boldly and asked with a smile, "What kind of training is this?"

Hinata Hyuga glanced at Beizawa, her face slightly red as she lowered her head.

"Chakra control training. Normally, you wouldn't encounter this until after graduation."

Beizawa explained. "But you're all geniuses, so you can try it early."