"Even the Hokage..." Hinata quietly repeated Uchiha Jie's words.
"All right, all right. You're still a long way from becoming Hokage. At most, you're a Genin. You might not even win a fight against Sasuke Uchiha right now."
Uchiha Jie patted Hinata's little head, dispelling her fantasy, then continued his instructions:
"Also, you need to go to bed early tonight. Since I think you're already strong enough to be a Genin, I'll take you on a Genin mission tomorrow."
Genin? So I'm already strong enough to be a Genin?
Hinata lay on her soft bed, a plush toy nearly as big as she was beside her. The chubby white bear was a thing of the past. Uchiha Jie had bought her a big red carp, the latest design, just right for cuddling as she slept.
As far as she knew, it would be about five more years before she graduated from the Ninja Academy. Only then would she be able to wear a Forehead Protector and become a real Genin with official proof of her ninja status, before working her way up one step at a time, starting with D-rank missions.
But her teacher had told her that some people graduated from the Ninja Academy at her age—or even younger—and became Genin.
Some of them died young, while most of the rest had become dependable, powerful ninja. Wherever they went, they could hold their own. Even among the Jonin, they were some of the very best.
Am I a genius? With that thought, she smiled and drifted off to sleep.
It wasn't until the next morning, when she told her master what she'd been thinking, that she realized just how wrong she was.
"A lot of people think they're geniuses. I just feel sorry for them. They join the Ninja Academy at two or three, graduate at six or seven, and then start their lives as ninja."
Uchiha Jie shook his head as he adjusted the little Ninja tool bag at Hinata's waist. That was secondhand, too. He'd used it back when he was at the Ninja Academy.
It had lots of clever features unique to the Uchiha, making it easier to grab ninja tools. It even had a few extra pockets for carrying more supplies.
"I feel a little guilty about taking you away from Konoha and setting you on this path, but there's nothing I can do about it."
There was a hint of regret in his voice. He crouched down again to check the rest of Hinata's gear.
None of Hinata's equipment was new. Even in Konoha, very few people became ninja at seven or eight.
The various pieces of equipment used by these prodigies were all custom-made by their clans.
If Hinata were still in Konoha, Hyuga Hiashi would naturally take care of it. But things were different now, and she could only make do with secondhand gear.
Still, Hinata could tell how much care had gone into each of these hand-me-downs.
There was a hidden mechanism in the soles of her Ninja boots. All she had to do was bend her toes, and a small, gleaming dagger would spring out.
Fine chainmail covered nearly her entire body. It could block almost any Kunai or shuriken an ordinary Genin might toss at her.
It just didn't fit very well. Apparently, it was Sister Yue's old armor. It felt a little tight around the chest, but thankfully not enough to affect her breathing.
Over the chainmail, she wore an Azure robe, an old piece of her master's clothing. A large patch had been sewn onto the back, covering the Uchiha clan crest.
A small Ninja sword hung inside the robe, so it wouldn't be visible right away if she ran into an enemy.
There were other little things, too, including an antidote developed by Lady Tsunade. It could be taken right away and worked against nearly every poison in the Shinobi World.
They didn't leave the Hot spring inn through the front entrance. Instead, they jumped onto the roof from the back courtyard and slipped silently out of the little village.
"Master, you still haven't told me what the mission is."
As they raced through the forest, leaping from one treetop to the next, Hinata found it easy enough that her mind began to wander.
Even though she was all geared up, Uchiha Jie still hadn't told her what Genin missions were actually like.
She'd heard Genin in her family complain that D-rank missions were terribly boring: they couldn't train their skills, and they didn't make much money, either.
But she knew little about what Genin were supposed to do. Her father had told her some stories about ninja, but they were all about famous, powerful figures who appeared as Jonin from the start and saved the world whenever they fought.
When they came across a fairly even forest path, smooth enough for a horse-drawn carriage, Uchiha Jie slowed down. He led Hinata in a leap down from the treetops, and they continued along the path on foot.
"A band of bandits has gathered in the hills to the north." He pointed to the side of the road, where another hill stood. Beyond it, there were even more hills.
This forest path led to a small town much larger than Lishan Village. It was a trade route.
"Wiping out bandits and protecting merchant caravans are the most common C-rank missions for Genin. Usually, their team leader doesn't need to get involved. Three Genin fresh out of the Ninja Academy can deal with them easily if they work well together."
"Ordinary ninja look down on bandits, so you don't need to worry about running into enemy ninja."
"All right, we're here. From gathering information to taking out every last bandit, it's all up to you now."
As soon as Uchiha Jie finished speaking, he suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke, leaving Hinata standing alone in the middle of the road.
She was suddenly at a loss. What had her master said was the first thing to do when gathering information? She thought it was to identify the target of the investigation.
But she already knew she was supposed to gather information on a group of bandits. Did that mean she had to leave this remote area and go back to the village, or keep following the road to the town ahead?
Just as she was struggling to decide, the sound of hooves came from behind her, and the ground trembled faintly. She turned around and saw a small merchant caravan.
There were three or five horses and four or five carts, their cargo covered with tarpaulins. The man at the front was a young man, around fifteen or sixteen, riding a tall horse with a gleaming samurai sword at his waist.
Hinata spotted the caravan, and its members soon noticed the little girl standing in the road.
"Little girl, are you alone?"
The young man with the samurai sword seemed to be the leader of the small caravan. He signaled the others to slow down, then rode forward himself, keeping a reasonable distance from Hinata.
"There are bandits up ahead."
Even without activating her Byakugan, Hinata's eyesight was far better than an ordinary person's. She could see the caravan's setup clearly. Apart from the young man who'd ridden forward, there was only one other guard carrying a sword.
They weren't ninja. If there really was a band of bandits up ahead, as her master had said, this little caravan would have no chance of escaping their clutches.