Bang~!!
Accompanied by the sound of flames rolling and exploding, a Rain ninja engulfed in flames screamed as he was sent flying, hitting a tree trunk and bouncing once before falling to the ground. From his slight body spasms, he would conservatively be unconscious for several hours.
"Hmph, boring clone tricks. Just as I expected, only this much."
Hinata's right fist's flames extinguished. The other two Rain ninjas nearby had also been knocked down. This was undoubtedly another overwhelming annihilation battle. At least, compared to the previous groups, this one offered a slight surprise. These three were the same three Rain ninjas seen in the original story, who used numerous illusionary clones to assist in combat. In the original, they indeed became the final obstacle for Naruto and others. If not for Kabuto's friendly assistance, it's hard to say if they would have passed that stage.
But now... one could only say these three Rain ninjas were quite unlucky. Their trick of creating a massive number of illusory clones was certainly effective against others, but unfortunately, among the Konoha Nine Rookies, two possessed Byakugan or Sharingan, and two others relied on their sense of smell and insects. Their clone trick was practically transparent, making no difference at all.
"Tsk, unlucky. Another Heaven Scroll. Still no match for your Heaven Scroll, Hinata."
After rummaging through the three Rain ninjas' pouches, Shikamaru frowned slightly. "So, what now? Do we continue hunting, or move forward?"
"...No, we'll rest now."
Lowering her stance, Hinata turned to look at her team members. She clearly had a plan.
"We have the strongest scouting methods. We never have to worry about not finding a target, so we can save time searching for targets and conserve our energy. After all, we'll be staying in this hellhole for quite a while, and constantly rushing and overextending our stamina isn't wise."
"Indeed. Our scrolls are basically collected now, and we even have an extra Heaven Scroll. Even if we exchange it later, we can ensure we get the final Earth Scroll. Plus, we've fought three consecutive battles today; our mental and physical fatigue need to be considered."
Shino clearly agreed with Hinata's decision. This steady approach was indeed the best method in such an unfamiliar environment.
"Oh, then Sakura and I will prepare food. Choji, could you please help gather some firewood?"
Seeing that Hinata had made a decision, Ino no longer had any doubts and obediently began preparing for camp. Although firewood might expose their campsite, within a multi-person organization with top-notch reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance abilities, there was basically no need to worry about being ambushed. So, the members of the three teams could safely recover their stamina.
"But~ we just entered the forest not long ago~~"
Naruto grumbled unwillingly, shaking his head. Sasuke, in response, slightly tilted his head. Theoretically, he knew they should rest, but personally, he still hoped to find a few more strong opponents.
"If you don't want to be idle, then perfect. Kiba, take this idiot and go catch some nutritious meat. Sasuke, you and Shino are responsible for campsite defense. Shikamaru, I'll rely on you to set some small traps around the camp."
Assigning tasks one by one, Hinata clearly didn't forget campsite security, which was also for her convenience in her upcoming action plan.
"Huh? What about Hinata?"
Kiba, sensing Hinata's intentions, slightly raised an eyebrow. "You're not planning to go scout alone, are you?"
"Of course. Is there anyone else here better suited for this task than me? Although we need to rest now, familiarity with the surrounding terrain is necessary. This can give us an advantage for our next journey."
Hinata's answer naturally had no flaws. However, her statement made Naruto on the side excitedly raise his hand: "Then! I'll go too! Hunting is just not my style~!"
"Shut up! Didn't you hear me say this is scouting??"
Having somewhat prepared for Naruto, who often interrupted, Hinata spoke coldly: "I possess the wide-range Byakugan, excellent at both discovering and avoiding enemies. Then, Sasuke also has the Sharingan which can see chakra, and combined with Shino's insects, they are most suitable as sentries. Kiba has a superhuman sense of smell, making him naturally good at finding edible meat. Among the remaining people, Choji has the best strength, suitable for helping reinforce the camp, and Shikamaru has the most ideas, so if he sets the traps, the technical level will naturally be the highest."
Folding her arms, Hinata mockingly glanced at Naruto: "As for you, the thoughtless one who always likes to chirp and squawk, you're only suitable for helping Kiba transport the prey. Or~ do you want to snatch Ino and Sakura's cooking job?"
"Uh... damn it~~ Am I really useless?"
Naruto, his face red and neck thick, yelled, frustrated by the mockery. Hinata's face, however, suddenly flashed with an exceptionally charming expression. The Byakugan girl darted to Naruto's side and, with suggestive ambiguity, clamped his neck: "How could that be? Of course, you're very useful, but~~ now isn't the time for filming a play, is it? However, I think this environment would be fantastic for filming the next play's forest. If you're interested, why don't you try to get a feel for the place first, pff hahahaha~~"
"This... this is too much..."
Naruto, tearful and utterly wronged, stopped arguing. Clearly, he also knew that in front of Hinata, his usefulness was limited to these things.
"Hahahaha~~ Alright~~ Miss Naruko, let's hurry and prepare the food~ I'm an expert at this, you just focus on being the strongman and carrying things!"
Kiba, also trying to suppress his laughter, jumped onto a nearby tree branch, chuckling. Naruto, enraged, immediately chased after him: "Damn dog-fang! You wait!"
Watching the two searching for food disappear, Hinata shrugged slightly: "Alright~ Everyone, start working now. I'll go ahead and scout the terrain here. See you."
After speaking, Hinata leaped onto a tree branch in another direction, activating her Byakugan. Whatever Orochimaru was dawdling with, she needed to first secure the excellent prey she had set her sights on.