The Heavens: From Naruto to sign in

I have to say—

Hinata's current team was much stronger overall than they ever were in the original timeline.

Of course, credit for that goes largely to Yoruha's influence, along with the excellent genes and training of the Nara family passed down to Shikamaru.

On their journey through the Forest of Death, they encountered a few teams along the way.

But—

They handled them with ease.

Shino controlled the battlefield with her insects,

Kiba and Akamaru cut off enemy support with sharp, coordinated strikes,

And finally—

Hinata, using her Gentle Fist technique, finished them off one by one.

They pushed through brush and battle, knocking down obstacles like thorns in their path.

The fights were tense, fast-paced, and satisfying.

Until—

They ran into Gaara's team.

In the original storyline, Hinata's team didn't directly clash with Gaara's group.

Why?

Because they stayed out of trouble and kept a low profile.

They were simply… too cautious to provoke him.

To Gaara, they were background noise—easy to ignore.

But this time?

Everything was different.

Kiba had grown so much, so fast, that his confidence bordered on arrogance.

Even Shino was beginning to believe they could take on anyone.

Then—

Gaara made his move.

He crushed that confidence in an instant.

And this particular "lesson" was taught with brutal clarity.

Shino and Kiba were swiftly taken down, both of them collapsed on the forest floor.

"Hmph… I've heard plenty about the Leaf Village's two famous eye techniques—Byakugan and Sharingan,"

Gaara sneered.

"I've now seen the Byakugan up close. Once I kill you, I'll go looking for someone with the Sharingan next."

"I want everyone in Konoha to remember—

That I, Gaara of the Sand, am the strongest of this generation!"

"Sand Coffin!"

Whoosh!

A wave of golden sand surged toward Hinata.

If that attack landed—

It wouldn't just injure her.

It would kill her.

Brutally.

Hinata's face was calm but serious.

She had managed to counter Gaara's Sand Coffin technique multiple times with her Sixty-Four Palms.

But...

Gaara's chakra reserve felt endless.

He just kept coming.

Meanwhile—

Her own chakra was dangerously low.

What now?

Run?

But if she fled, Kiba and Shino would die for sure.

She couldn't abandon them.

"Haaah!"

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

A light-blue Bagua pattern glowed at Hinata's feet once again.

But her body was spent.

Her chakra exhausted.

Halfway through her strike—

Her vision blurred.

The Bagua faded.

And the wave of sand loomed ever closer.

She gave a bitter smile.

Yoruha… I'm sorry. Looks like I won't be able to stay by your side any longer.

She closed her eyes.

But just before the world went dark—

Flash!

A silver-white arc of sword light tore through the sky.

Whoosh!

The blade sliced clean through the wave of sand.

In the next moment—

Yoruha appeared, ninja blade in hand, standing firmly in front of her.

"Tch… Another Leaf Village cockroach?"

Gaara scowled, unbothered.

"No matter. Whether it's one bug or two, I'll crush you all the same."

"Sand Coffin!"

The sand he had just lost reformed in an instant—

Swirling with even greater intensity.

This time, it aimed to entrap both Yoruha and Hinata together.

"Sand Waterfall Funeral!"

Boom!

The jutsu activated.

But—

The gruesome scene Gaara expected never came.

Instead—

All the sand was blown away.

"What…?!"

Gaara was stunned.

This move—his Sand Waterfall Funeral—wasn't supposed to have a blind spot.

No one had ever escaped it unscathed.

But Yoruha had already trained to a terrifying level:

He could now release Wind Release chakra through all 361 of his body's acupoints simultaneously.

Countless sharp wind blades burst from his body—

Shredding the sand apart with ease.

Yoruha now stood tall.

His left arm cradled Hinata, unconscious from exhaustion.

His right hand held his sword, tip aimed at Gaara.

The blade gleamed with a cold, merciless aura.

"You're just a kid playing with sand,"

Yoruha said quietly.

"Hinata only fainted because she overexerted herself."

"But don't forget—"

"She's someone under my protection."

"And I don't let anyone bully what's mine."