The Villainous Rebirth of an Anime Heroine | book 1

Opening the money box in front of her, Hinata's smooth temples suddenly tensed, veins bulging as her Byakugan activated. The ability to see through objects wasn't just useful in battle—it had practical uses too, like verifying money. She could directly see the internal watermarks and security threads in the bills, making it easy to tell if they were real or fake. No need for a counterfeit detector.

Watching her closely, Squirrel spoke with interest. "Come to think of it, Lady Hinata, aren't you the eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan? How do you even have time for side jobs like this? Well, I guess I can't complain. The quality of what you bring in is top-tier. In fact, in just two weeks, the sales in the Land of Fire have already surpassed the latest Icha Icha Paradise volume."

"Making money... it's always best to rely on yourself. Besides—"

After confirming that the bills inside the box added up to the full four hundred thousand ryō, Hinata slightly lifted her head. Her pale, almost silver-white eyes made Squirrel instinctively take half a step back. Though retired, he was once a ninja, and he could feel a faint killing intent from this girl.

"You do know... the more you know, the faster you die, right?"

Leaving those cold words behind, Hinata turned and walked away without looking back. Only after her figure completely disappeared did Squirrel let out a long breath, reaching up to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. The former Chunin muttered under his breath, clearly unsettled.

"Seriously... retiring was definitely the right choice. Just what kind of monsters are the kids becoming ninja these days?"

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Even after walking quite a distance with the money box in hand, Hinata still couldn't shake off the lingering irritation inside her. She knew exactly why.

Even though she had been in this world for two and a half months, she still couldn't fully accept the reality in front of her.

"...'The Hyuga clan's eldest daughter'... what a terrible title."

Why did she have to become this overly soft, docile girl who might as well have stepped straight out of a romance manga? That was the real source of her frustration.

Looking at the entire Naruto storyline, the girl named Hyuga Hinata seemed like nothing more than a pre-determined love interest for the main character, Naruto.

She was like the standard love-struck girl that always appeared behind hot-blooded protagonists.

Her existence added to the hero's charm, provided a reason for emotional development, and, in critical moments, she was conveniently there to be taken down by the villain—giving the protagonist a justified reason to power up.

If she died, it would be a tear-jerking moment. If she survived, she would continue serving as a tool to boost the hero's coolness factor.

Even though Hinata knew that her very presence here had already altered the original story's trajectory, she couldn't help but feel a deep frustration about this whole bizarre reincarnation.

Still, there was no use complaining. This world—at the very least—fit her tastes.

Because here, as long as you had enough strength, you could do whatever you wanted.

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Right now, it was about six months before the ninja academy graduation exam—the final semester had just begun.

Hinata had arrived in this world two and a half months ago. At first, she had been completely overwhelmed. But now, she had more or less figured out the situation.

Once a student graduated from the ninja academy, they would be assigned into three-man teams with their fellow graduates, based on their individual abilities. Then, an experienced ninja from the village would guide them as they undertook missions—until they became full-fledged shinobi.

One thing was certain, though.

The students set to graduate in Hinata's year were undeniably the main cast of Konoha's new generation.

Naruto might have been an idiot, sure, but his lineage made up for that. He was the only son of the Fourth Hokage and the most important Jinchuriki in the entire ninja world, carrying the Nine-Tails inside him.

Then there was Sasuke—no need for an introduction. Just being the last surviving member of the Uchiha clan made him a person of immense significance.

And the rest of the students in their graduating class?

Except for Sakura, nearly all of them came from Konoha's most prestigious clans.

Let's break it down:

Naruto Uzumaki - The son of the Fourth Hokage and Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.

Sasuke Uchiha - The last remaining member of the Uchiha clan.

Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi - Heirs to the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, a formation passed down for generations.

Kiba Inuzuka - From the renowned Inuzuka clan, known for their ninja hounds.

Shino Aburame - Heir to the insect-controlling Aburame clan.

Hinata Hyuga - The eldest daughter of the Hyuga clan, one of Konoha's most powerful families.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of Konoha's clan structure could see how valuable this particular class of graduates was.

They weren't just a bunch of random kids.

They represented the future of Konoha's major clans.

In the original story, Kakashi had made it clear in Chapter 4—there were 27 students in Naruto's graduating class, but only 9 of them would be accepted as genin.

The remaining 18 were essentially background extras, eliminated to highlight the real talents.

In other words, the students who made the cut weren't just any genin. They were the top-tier of their generation.

And naturally, the people assigned to mentor them had to be equally exceptional.

Kakashi Hatake - Konoha's elite Jonin. A prodigy who became a Jonin at just 12 years old. He was arguably one of the strongest Jonin in the entire village.

Sarutobi Asuma - The biological son of the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. Strength aside, his lineage alone is enough to outshine most people.

Yuuhi Kurenai - The most skilled genjutsu kunoichi in all of Konoha. On top of that, she's Asuma's fiancée, which basically makes her the future daughter-in-law of the Third Hokage.

The genin who graduated in this class were practically destined to be protagonists. With this level of background and talent, it's no surprise they went straight to the Chunin Exams after graduation and continued to dominate the battlefield later on.

In other words, these teams weren't just any genin. From their prestigious backgrounds to the elite Jonin who mentored them, they were the very best Konoha had to offer. Normal genin wouldn't have the privilege of being trained by the Copy Ninja or the Third Hokage's own son and daughter-in-law.

So yeah, all that "hard work beats talent" stuff in shonen anime? That's just a lie to fool naive readers. These so-called underdog protagonists were actually nothing more than noble heirs with overwhelming bloodlines. If we're talking about people without any special lineage, only Sakura, Lee, and Tenten fit that category.

And the reality of this world? Lee, Tenten, and Neji's team wasn't even allowed to take the Chunin Exams in their first year. They had to train under Gai for a whole extra year before they were deemed strong enough to compete alongside the other nine graduates.

Let's be real—most Chunin-level ninja in the world are already in their 20s or 30s. Just look at the participants in the original Chunin Exams.

But these kids? They were only twelve when they took the exam. That alone proves just how special they were.

"That means… I need to get as strong as possible in the next six months. Once we graduate, we'll officially become shinobi, and real-life battles will be unavoidable."

Hinata muttered softly to herself, coming to a stop. She had arrived at the designated meeting spot, where two boys—one with bright blond hair and the other with jet-black—had clearly been waiting for a while. As soon as they saw her, they both turned to look.

"Sorry, I took a bit longer dealing with the photos from yesterday."

Looking at Sasuke and Naruto in front of her, a rare smile appeared on Hinata's lips.

At the very least, she already had a plan. And these two—the male leads of the original story—were going to be her biggest sources of income… and her test subjects.

(PS1: When I first watched Naruto and One Piece, I was really moved by how the protagonists bravely fought powerful enemies on their own. But then… I took a look at their family backgrounds and realized I'd been played. Damn it, they're all heirs of world-destroying powerhouses! How the hell are they supposed to be relatable?! This isn't an underdog story, it's just straight-up nepotism!)

(PS2: Naruto, your dad was the Hokage! You're the Jinchuriki of the strongest Tailed Beast! You're literally the 'Child of Prophecy'! If you didn't become Hokage, that'd be embarrassing!)

(PS3: Luffy, your dad is the leader of the Revolutionary Army! Your grandpa is a legendary Marine! Your brother was the son of the former Pirate King! If you didn't become the Pirate King, that'd be pathetic!)

(PS4: Ichigo, your dad was a Soul Reaper! Your mom was a Quincy! Are you sure you don't have even more overpowered bloodline abilities hiding somewhere?! How is this even fair?!)

(PS5: And then they have the nerve to call themselves 'ordinary boys'! I swear, I'll smack them right in their privileged rich-kid faces!)

(PS6: Let's be real, villains don't lose because they're weak. They lose because their dads weren't important enough!)

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The Tale of the Fox

A long, long time ago, a young shepherd boy tended to his family's sheep on a hillside. He was a kind-hearted child, and when he played his bamboo flute, he could create beautiful melodies. Many animals in the forest loved to quietly gather around and listen to his music.

Among them was a beautiful little fox with golden-red fur. She often watched the boy from the shadows of the trees. And though the shepherd boy noticed her presence, neither of them ever made the first move to approach. Even so, they silently acknowledged each other's existence.

It was an unspoken understanding—

The boy lingered there because of the fox, and the fox remained because of the boy.

One day, the little fox accidentally stepped into a hunter's trap. Just as she was about to be skinned, the shepherd boy arrived in time to save her. In exchange for her freedom, he had to give the hunter his most precious possession—his bamboo flute. From that day on, he could no longer play music.

Without his beautiful melodies, the animals that once surrounded the shepherd boy gradually left him. But the little fox never did. Even though he could no longer play, she remained by his side, and together they spent many more days in each other's company.

However, human lives are fragile and fleeting. After a heavy rainstorm, the shepherd boy fell ill. His sickness quickly worsened, and it wasn't long before he reached the end of his life. The little fox, sensing his imminent death, wept beside him. But the boy only smiled.

"My short life has only had you in it," he told her, "so I hope we can meet again in the next one. Promise me—you must live on."

With those words, the boy passed away.

The little fox never forgot her promise. She trained tirelessly, and after a thousand years, she finally gained the power to take human form. She entered the human world, determined to find the reincarnation of the shepherd boy.

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"WHAT THE HELL?!"

A loud, exasperated yell shattered the emotional atmosphere. Naruto, trembling as if he had just been electrocuted, wrapped his arms around himself. With a horrified expression, he stared at Hinata, who was holding a notebook in her hands.

"What are you even doing?! What is this?!"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" Hinata blinked innocently. "It's a new script. I was just reading it out loud so you two could get familiar with it."

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Hinata sat on a tree stump, eyes glued to the script summary in her hands. It wasn't often she got this engrossed, but even she had to admit—this was amazing. Sure, it pretty much copied the formula of The Legend of Madame White Snake, but swapping out the white snake for a fox spirit? Perfect. It blended so seamlessly that it felt like the story was meant to be this way.

And then—what if she replaced the fox spirit and the shepherd boy with Naruto and Sasuke?

Hmm… That actually worked even better.

"Ughhh—!!"

Before she could enjoy the thought any longer, both boys simultaneously doubled over, retching as if they had just been poisoned. Sasuke and Naruto, kneeling on either side of her, turned to look at each other mid-vomit—then immediately recoiled and gagged even harder. The sheer horror in their eyes said it all. They had finally processed exactly who the main characters of this story were.

"What's your problem?!" Hinata huffed, crossing her arms. "Is it really that bad?! Are you two just messing with me on purpose?!"

She was annoyed, but when she saw how green their faces had gotten, she hesitated. Sure, she had a bit of a sadistic streak, but she wasn't cruel enough to force people to do something completely unbearable. That would just be inefficient.

"Ugh… Stop… talking… You promised there wouldn't be any romance…"

Sasuke, barely holding himself up on shaking arms, felt like his soul was about to leave his body. He had already mentally prepared himself for this acting gig. He even admitted that Hinata's script sounded well-written—tragic, emotional, the kind of story that stuck with people.

But the moment he realized he had to play a romantic role alongside the blond idiot next to him… Something deep inside him violently rejected the idea. His stomach physically could not handle it.

"Hinata… just kill me instead…"

Naruto, lying face-down in the dirt, looked even worse off than Sasuke. His entire body radiated despair, and there were actual tears in his eyes. He sniffled, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But… the script can't be changed."

Hinata frowned, gripping the pages in her hands. It had taken days to write this draft, carefully adapting the original Madame White Snake story to fit a more fitting, ninja-world setting. She even gave it a perfect title—The Tale of the Fox.

Giving up now would be a complete waste. Besides, she needed the money. The next stage of her taijutsu training required expensive medicine and equipment. If she couldn't keep up her earnings, her progress would grind to a halt.

"No… We refuse to do this…"

Finally done puking, Sasuke wobbled to his feet, using a tree for support. Normally, the Uchiha heir was the epitome of calm and cool, but right now? His face was pale, his posture was weak, and there was still a bit of vomit on the corner of his mouth.

It was clear—he had suffered immense psychological damage.

"Yeah! There's no way in hell we're doing this! You might as well just end us now!!"

Naruto dramatically sprawled out on the ground in protest, refusing to move. His whole posture screamed I'm done with life.

Hinata's eyebrow twitched. Her pale eyes sharpened slightly as she glanced between the two boys.

"…You know, that's funny." Her voice dropped into a dangerous tone. "You two. 'We'. Since when did you guys start getting along well enough to speak like a team?"

"—!!"

Sasuke and Naruto stiffened immediately.

There was no denying it—they had been way too in sync just now. This whole united strike against her script? It was way too coordinated. It didn't seem like something they'd just come up with on the spot. No…

It felt planned.

"I did tell you two to communicate better," Hinata said, tapping her fingers on the wooden stump. "But I never said you were allowed to stage a rebellion."

Her left hand clenched slightly, and the wood beneath her let out a sharp crack—thin lines forming where her fingers had pressed down.

Sasuke clicked his tongue and looked away. "Hmph. I don't care what this idiot thinks. You said there wouldn't be romance. But now you're making me act in some tragic love story with this moron? Absolutely not."

Naruto, who had been lying flat in protest, suddenly sat up. "Hey, hey, HEY! Stuck-up Sasuke! We agreed to protest together so we could make Hinata spill her training secrets—uh—"

He froze.

The second the words left his mouth, he realized.

He had just snitched on himself.

A cold sweat broke out on Naruto's forehead. He slowly clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes darting toward Hinata, whose face remained eerily blank.

Sasuke turned to look at him with pure disgust. "You absolute dumbass."

In that moment, Naruto fully embodied the definition of "pig teammate".

Hinata stared at them both, unimpressed. "…Naruto. You are so dumb it's actually painful." She exhaled slowly. "And you wanted to blackmail me?"

Her tone was unreadable, but the atmosphere around her had completely shifted.

Oddly enough, she wasn't mad anymore. If anything, she felt a little amused. As long as these two weren't actually trying to quit, she could work with that.

Besides…

Even knowing the original storyline, she had to remind herself—

Right now, these two so-called "future legends" were just a pair of dumb eleven-year-olds.

As for Hinata's training method?

Heh… Heh heh heh… There's a road to heaven, yet you two refuse to take it! Sure, they were the main characters, but their insistence on walking straight into danger was honestly hilarious to Hinata.

"That's right~! My training method isn't the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist, because I have no talent for that kind of fighting style. Instead, I practice a completely different type of martial arts."

Hinata nodded firmly, confirming the truth. Immediately, both Sasuke and Naruto tensed up. After witnessing Hinata's attack yesterday—one that felt like getting blasted by a shotgun—they had fully realized how weak they actually were.

However, trying to get Hinata to spill her training secrets? That was definitely not Sasuke's idea. Clearly, this was Naruto's doing—he was always the one with sneaky little schemes. But Sasuke… well, when it came to anything that could make him stronger, he really couldn't resist.

"Uhh… Hinata~ I, uh—"

Fidgeting with his fingers, Naruto hesitated, unable to get the words out. It was kind of funny—almost like a scene reversed from the original storyline.

"You guys want to learn? The martial arts I'm practicing right now?"

Hinata had no patience for Naruto's stuttering. She stood up and looked down at the two of them. Scratching his head, Naruto let out an awkward laugh. "Ahahaha~ If Hinata could teach us her training method… that'd be amazing~!"

"Ahem— I heard that Gentle Fist can only be practiced with the Byakugan. If… you're not using Gentle Fist, then…"

Sasuke turned his head slightly, clearly embarrassed. His face was already turning red, but at least he got his point across.

"No problem. If you guys want to learn, I can teach you. But you'd better be prepared—this martial art isn't difficult to understand, but it's extremely hard to master. It requires endurance and perseverance."

Hinata's pale eyes flickered for a moment as she smoothly slipped a lie into her explanation.

"Its name is—"

"The Seven Sacred Fists of the Southern Star!"

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"In this world, there are seven chakra natures—Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Yin, and Yang. The so-called 'Seven Sacred Fists of the Southern Star' are the ultimate martial arts corresponding to these seven chakra types. Though they are collectively called 'Seven Sacred Fists,' there are actually seven different styles, each aligning with one of these chakra natures."

Hinata's calm explanation made the two boys sitting in front of her on the grass tense up. After all, they were just eleven-year-old kids, and when faced with something that sounded incredibly powerful, they had zero resistance.

"You're saying… the Seven Sacred Fists can only be learned and used by people who have the right chakra nature?"

Sasuke's brain was clearly a step ahead of Naruto's. He had already picked up on the hidden meaning behind Hinata's words, whereas Naruto… well, he still looked as clueless as ever.

"Exactly. Fire-natured chakra can only be used to train in the Fire-based Sacred Fist. If you try to use a fist technique that doesn't match your chakra nature, not only will it fail, but it could also backfire on you."

Hinata spoke with a completely serious expression, as if she were explaining some ancient martial arts secret. Of course, what she was describing wasn't some super-muscled fighting technique from another world—it was her own personal modified version, carefully adapted to fit the shinobi world.

"So~ this 'Seven Sacred Fists'... is it really strong? Like, how strong?"

Still completely lost, Naruto asked excitedly, "Is it as strong as the Hokage's jutsu?"

"No, I wouldn't know about that. This martial art is an ancient secret technique of the Hyuga clan. I only happened to find a broken scroll of it by chance."

Of course, that was a total lie. But since she was already stuck with the title of 'Hyuga Clan Heiress,' there was no harm in letting the family name take the blame. After all, calling it the 'Hyuga Clan's Secret Sacred Fist' instantly made it sound way more prestigious.

"So 'Sacred Fist'… means it's a taijutsu style, right? I've heard that Hyuga clan members only specialize in taijutsu. Because of the Byakugan's advantage, neither ninjutsu nor genjutsu can compare to taijutsu's effectiveness for them."

Sasuke was carefully analyzing her words, and Hinata simply smiled. Having such a smart Uchiha around meant her lie was practically writing itself. He was already filling in the blanks for her.