Training was a tedious process that took time and effort. Not everyone was like Uchiha Itachi or Hatake Kakashi, able to graduate from the Ninja Academy at a young age and reach Jonin strength just a few years later.
Even among her peers, Hyuga Hinata wasn't especially strong. She couldn't beat Sasuke Uchiha, and she had no particular advantage over the young ninja from other clans, either.
At the Ninja Academy, few people showed their true abilities in sparring, and the teachers didn't pay much attention to the training of clan heirs. Besides, Hinata usually practiced with other young kunoichi, so things weren't too bad for her.
At first, Uchiha Jie had planned to teach Hinata just enough to get by, so she could enjoy a happy childhood before Hyuga Yue passed judgment on the Hyuga Clan.
But now that things had changed a little—she had become his student and wanted to change what would happen to the Hyuga Clan—he naturally had to teach her some real skills.
As for whether Hinata might eventually stand against Yue, Uchiha Jie didn't think much of her chances. If it really came to that, he would find a way to save her life.
"You're still young, so there's a limit to how much chakra you can produce. Even if you eat a lot every day, you can't quickly catch up to those born with extraordinary amounts of chakra."
"Activating the Byakugan also takes a lot of chakra. What's more, your Byakugan is purer than most, so it naturally uses even more."
Uchiha Jie and Hyuga Hinata sat facing each other. Hinata sat cross-legged, refining her chakra, while he stirred the pale red liquid in a glass.
"But of course, there are ways to solve this problem. It just depends on which path you want to take."
Hinata's eyes widened. She knew what having a large amount of chakra meant. It wasn't something you could gain through training after birth; increasing it was practically impossible.
If there were a way, every ninja would jump at the chance. Yet her teacher was telling her she had options.
"Hey, what's with that look? I said you had options, so of course you do!" Uchiha Jie tapped the little tea table and grinned.
"Of course, none of these options will be easy. I'll have to put in a lot of effort, and you'll have to put in even more."
"The first method is simple. Just like your classmate Naruto Uzumaki, have a Tailed Beast sealed inside you. With a Tailed Beast constantly supplying you with chakra, the problem would be solved in no time."
The first method was enough to frighten Hinata. She knew what a Tailed Beast was: savage and dangerous. As the ultimate weapon of each village, it played a crucial, sometimes decisive, role on the battlefield.
"But..."
"Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly. "There's a Tailed Beast sealed inside him?"
"That's right." Uchiha Jie nodded and answered with a smile.
"He's the Fourth Hokage's son. The Fourth Hokage's wife was once the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki. On the day the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself for Konoha, he sealed the Nine-Tails that had escaped into his child."
"Naruto-kun is the Fourth Hokage's son?" Hinata's eyes widened. "But he..."
"He doesn't seem like a hero's child at all, does he?" Uchiha Jie finished for her with a smile.
"Sometimes I really wonder what the Third Hokage was thinking, letting Namikaze Minato's child end up like that. I wonder if Minato would be heartbroken if he came back to life."
"Anyway, Naruto Uzumaki isn't our focus right now." Uchiha Jie waved a hand. "Everyone knows the great ninja villages control the Tailed Beasts, but there's one village that can't keep hold of its own."
"That village just so happens to be our destination on our upcoming trip. If we're really lucky, we might even get our hands on a Tailed Beast. That would be the best outcome."
"Could you stop looking at me like that? I can't take on the likes of Uchiha Itachi or the Third Hokage, but I can handle a Tailed Beast. After all, my name is Uchiha."
Hinata still looked unconvinced, so Uchiha Jie said no more and moved on to another method.
"Another method is to learn Sage Mode and master the power of nature."
"It's a kind of energy different from chakra," he explained.
"But once absorbed into the body, natural energy can be converted into senjutsu chakra. It's much stronger than the ordinary chakra we produce. Everyone knows the First Hokage was best known for Wood Release, but few know he was also a master of Sage Mode."
"But this technique is difficult to master, and I don't know how to use it, either. To learn it, we'd have to find a writer wandering the vast Shinobi World in search of inspiration. Unfortunately, he's also a Konoha Ninja, so he definitely wouldn't teach you."
"The third method is to stop being a member of the Hyuga Clan," Uchiha Jie said with a smile.
"Take the Uchiha name, and I'll give you my Sharingan. You'll instantly transform into a giant fighting machine, punching the Third Hokage and kicking Hyuga Hiashi. But once the fight's over, you'll probably be bleeding all over and out of time."
"Of course, I'm planning to use a fourth method on you."
Uchiha Jie finally stirred the liquid in the glass until it was evenly mixed, then set it in front of Hinata.
It was a peculiar drink, with a few tiny bubbles and an unusual pink color. It smelled like strawberries.
"This isn't strawberry juice." Uchiha Jie watched Hinata take a cautious sip and told her the truth. "It's my blood, mixed with a little medicine. Drink up—it's good for you."
He had been losing a lot of blood lately, and the life force he'd painstakingly built up was almost gone. Still, he squeezed out a little to give to Hinata. After all, what lay ahead was dangerous at every turn.
He needed to make Hinata stronger as quickly as possible—strong enough, at the very least, to keep her Byakugan activated. That would help them avoid unnecessary trouble and travel in comfort.
Hinata felt a warm current flow from her mouth down to her stomach, then spread from there throughout her body. In the end, the warmth gathered around her eyes, making them feel hot.
As for her teacher's claim that it would increase her chakra, she couldn't feel any noticeable change. Perhaps she would have to drink a cup every day for a long time before it had any effect.