Chapter 361: The Chunin Exam Begins

"Hinata?"

Neji exclaimed in surprise as he saw the girl who had just returned from the practical training of Team 8..

"Yu, you're here too?"

With her usual soft and timid voice, Hinata was surprised to see Yu, who had intimidated almost all of Konoha's ninjas yesterday, with her cousin Neji. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Oh, it's Hinata…"

For Yu, who possessed Observation Haki and Sensing abilities, Hinata's appearance was not unexpected. What surprised him was Neji's attitude toward Hinata.

It seemed that after Yu changed the Cloud Ninja incident, Neji no longer harbored the same resentment and hatred toward Hinata as in the original story. Instead, Neji often trained with Hinata in the Hyuga Clan's Gentle Fist technique. Seeing the siblings getting along well was something that pleased Yu greatly.

"Alright, then I won't disturb you two while you're training!"

After spending a night with Kurenai in the clouds of passion, Yu had just gotten up that evening. Passing by the Hyuga Clan, his Observation Haki happened to notice Neji training there. Feeling a sudden impulse to check it out. Now with Hinata arriving, he decided not to interrupt their training.

Air Door!!

As he spoke, Yu waved his hand to Release the sealing thread that had been piercing Neji's acupoints and meridians, restoring his ability to move. He then used Kaio to open a spatial door beside him, preparing to leave.

"Oh, by the way…"

Just as he was about to leave, Yu seemed to suddenly remember something. His gaze fell on Hinata, and a playful smile appeared on his lips. "Little Hinata, I think long hair might suit you better…"

Indeed, compared to the current shy Hinata with short bangs, Yu believed that the long, straight black hair Hinata from the Naruto movie "The Last" was her true peak in terms of appearance. That's why he whimsically made this suggestion.

"L-long hair?!"

Seeing Yu's gaze suddenly fall on her as he was about to leave, the shy and introverted Hinata immediately became nervous. She fiddled with her fingers and drew circles on her chest, her fair cheeks turning red. "Is… is that so? It seems like changing my hairstyle might be a good option…"

As soon as she finished speaking, the shy and excited Hinata finally mustered the courage to look up, only to find that Yu had already vanished through Kaio's spatial door, leaving behind a serene forest as if no one had ever been there.

'Compared to someone like Kurenai-sensei, who is both beautiful and strong...

I, who is useless, must seem very insignificant…'

Staring at the empty scenery before her, Hinata's pure, white eyes dimmed, and a sense of inexplicable loss welled up in her heart.

Every girl has a hero dream in their youth, especially for someone as shy and lacking in courage as Hinata. In the original story, Naruto, who is passionate, optimistic, and fearless, embodies the qualities she lacks, and this deeply touched her.

But unlike the original storyline, the powerful and fearless Yu not only saved her from the Cloud Ninja when she was young but also persuaded the Third Hokage to change the fate of Hyuga Hizashi and even the entire Hyuga Clan, appearing countless times as a perfect and flawless hero in her dreams.

So, although she doesn't want to admit it, Yu touched her heart much earlier and more deeply than the Naruto of this period, who still seemed somewhat foolish. However, these feelings are deep secrets buried in Hinata's heart, unknown to Yu himself.

"If the original script hasn't changed too much…"

"Orochimaru should have already killed the Fourth Kazekage Rasa of the Sand Village and disguised himself as a ninja participating in this Chunin Exam, infiltrating Konoha…"

Yu at this moment is walking through the boundless, dark green space of Kaio's Door Door Fruit. Since almost everything has been arranged, all he needs to do next is quietly watch the events unfold.

"Orochimaru and Danzo…"

"Heh… Don't worry, I won't keep you two waiting for long…"

Muttering to himself, Yu cast a deep, sharp glance at Nono, who was frozen and immobile in an Ice Coffin, appearing as if merely asleep. A cruel, cold smile gradually spread across his lips.

"Next… let me see who will be the first to go down and confess to Nono?"

…

Three days quickly passed.

The highly anticipated Chunin Exam, watched by the entire ninja world, was held as scheduled in Konoha, Land of Fire.

Nations and factions focused their attention on this Ninja selection battle jointly hosted by Konoha and the Sand Village of the Land of Wind. The conflict, a miniature of the larger struggles between countries and factions, was once again upon them.

Moreover, compared to the Chunin Exams Yu participated in before, the current peacetime Chunin Exam had even more participants and observers.

The world is unpredictable, and war could suddenly break out at any moment. Therefore, countries and factions invested more effort in watching the competition between the rising stars of their own village and those from other villages.

During these few days, apart from spending time dating with Kurenai and Yugao every day, Yu also visited Haku and Kimimaro at their accommodation, giving them reminders. His seemingly calm behavior caused the eyes of those who had been observing and monitoring him to slightly withdraw.

The first exam of the Chunin Exam was about to begin.

The large classroom was packed with ninjas from various countries and villages, all eagerly awaiting the start of the exam.

"Haku, I'm not very good at theoretical exams..."

"Will I disappoint Yu-sama's expectations..."

It was rare to see Kimimaro's usually stern face showing a hint of nervousness, as he was more skilled in combat and killing than in theory.

"Pfft… Kimimaro, you don't need to be so nervous..."

"Remember, theory is my strong suit. Besides, Yu-sama has already instructed me to signal you, so just pay attention to my cues..."

Seeing Kimimaro exhibit such an expression was rare, and Haku's delicate face revealed a trace of an uncontrollable smile.

"Alright…"

After hearing Haku's reassurance and arrangements, Kimimaro's expression finally returned to calm.

"Hey! You guys, listen up!!"

At the same time, Naruto, who was on the other side of the classroom, suddenly made a shocking move. He slammed his hand on the desk and shouted with his trademark loud voice at all the ninjas in the room.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki! The future Hokage of Konoha! I won't lose to any of you!!"

"Idiot!!"

Seeing Naruto's shocking act draw all the ninjas' unfriendly gazes, Sasuke immediately muttered a curse at him, while Sakura hurriedly pulled him down from his chair in fear.

"Damn… That guy Naruto…"

"This is going to make everyone focus all their attention on us…"

Sensing the unfriendly looks around, Shikamaru from Team 10 also complained in frustration.

"Just as expected from Naruto-kun's style…"

Seeing Naruto's actions, Haku, who was sitting next to Kimimaro, couldn't help but laugh.

"What's that idiot doing?!"

Kimimaro also looked over, unable to understand Naruto's attention-seeking behavior. With no real strength, why would he want to attract everyone's attention?

"But… that guy with silver hair and glasses…"

Kimimaro then noticed a young Konoha ninja with silver hair and round glasses who had somehow blended into Naruto's Team 7.

Although he seemed harmless and had no significant presence, Kimimaro, with his sharp intuition, vaguely sensed an aura from him that was usually only found in ninjas of elite level.

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