The brief interlude clearly didn't affect the actual course of the Chūnin Exams. Although both Kankurō and Temari were lightly injured by Hinata's underhanded tactics, as a three-person team on a mission, they had no leisure to rest. So, after a brief recuperation, they fled into Konoha's examination venue as if escaping.
After eating their fill and confirming the meeting's agenda, the members of Hinata's group leisurely arrived at the examination hall. Just as in the original story, two minor Chūnin characters disguised as ordinary people guarded a fake exam location, while a large group of Genin, some pretending to be weak and some genuinely weak, argued endlessly around it.
"Such a simple trick can trap so many people. It seems conducting the exam in stages is truly necessary."
Hinata walked at the forefront, followed by Naruto and Sasuke in a row, Shikamaru and Shino, the two strategist ninja, in another row, Sakura and Ino, the two medical support ninja, in a third row, and finally Chōji and Kiba brought up the rear. Clearly, after so many days of collective training, the division of labor and roles within this small organization had become very clearly defined.
Undoubtedly, the appearance of Hinata's group immediately drew astonished glances from everyone. While there were indeed ninja groups that appeared in teams, a group of nine in a Genin gathering was quite eye-catching. This significantly lowered the volume of the crowd. As Hinata and her group walked up the stairs towards the true exam location without looking back, the Genin gathered at the entrance clearly realized something was amiss, and their arguments grew heated again.
"That being said, why do I feel like you're targeting those three? While they do have some skill, especially the red-haired one, it wasn't necessary to do all that, was it?"
Shikamaru, cradling the back of his head, asked curiously. Clearly, he still understood parts of Hinata's personality. At the very least, this Byakugan girl wouldn't trouble others for no reason, because there was no pleasure in it for her. She preferred to tease beasts, not step on ants.
"You're right, I am indeed targeting them."
Hinata nodded, unreservedly confirming Shikamaru's words, which made Ino, following behind, a little worried: "Eh? Why is that? Those three are the Kazekage's children, isn't doing that a bit too arrogant?"
"Do you remember? The publishing factory's sales point in the Land of Wind was completely uprooted previously? That was not far from Hidden Sand Village. In other words, it would be impossible without Hidden Sand Village's responsibility. Furthermore, comparing the situations of sales points in other countries, we can at least confirm that Hidden Sand Village harbors the most hostility towards Konoha."
Hinata was clearly not someone who forgot grudges, and her analysis made Shino's brows furrow: "Indeed, setting aside all other circumstances and only looking at the results, only the Hidden Sand Village sales point was completely destroyed, while other countries weren't as severely affected. And because sales points directly provide funds to Konoha, we can assume that Hidden Sand Village is the village most eager to reduce Konoha's strength."
Although such an analysis had been stated before, bringing it up again now still felt somewhat unsettling. Sasuke, frowning slightly, added: "A bunch of people who only act sneakily behind the scenes. In that case, honestly eliminating those three from this exam will serve as a small warning."
"As expected of Sasuke-kun~ Your words are so charismatic~~"
Sakura and Ino once again simultaneously became infatuated, which made Naruto and Shikamaru both shake their heads. Fortunately, these two weren't assigned to Team 7, otherwise, they really didn't know how the team would get along. Only a girl like Hinata, who had no interest in Sasuke, could ignore emotional factors and lead the team with the most impartial attitude.
Meanwhile, in the Jonin lounge, Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were on standby. Their current mission was to ensure that the examination venue wouldn't be infiltrated or attacked.
"Good grief... They really dared to do that. Not only did they almost cripple the Hidden Sand team with one word, but they're also arrogantly forming a nine-person team for collective action... Should I feel fortunate?"
After receiving the report from the Anbu, Kakashi clearly had a wry smile, but his expression showed that he didn't think his students did anything wrong.
"Well~ Hidden Sand Village's hostility towards Konoha has been secretly rising for years. These three they sent aren't easy opponents either; their mission records indicate at least two years of ninja experience. Besides, according to the on-site investigation, that group did indeed initiate the provocation. If it were me, ten years ago, I might have gone even further."
Asuma clearly maintained his unconditional support for his students. Although Konoha and Hidden Sand were still allies, some intelligence from recent years couldn't be kept secret. Everyone wasn't foolish; hostility was more or less apparent.
"That's right, their team is perfectly complementary: Shino and Shikamaru's intelligence, Sakura and Ino's medical support, plus Hinata and Kiba's reconnaissance, and Sasuke and Naruto's combat power—they are perfect."
Kurenai's words were even more direct, and it wasn't hard to hear a hint of pride in her tone. Clearly, as a woman with a gentle exterior but strong inner core and independent personality, she had extremely high regard for Hinata and strongly approved of this tactic of ganging up and overwhelming others. The ninja world valued cooperation and strength. Hinata had the ability to command three teams at once, which was also a manifestation of her capability. Disagree? Then you are welcome to do the same, provided you can find a leader who can command respect and effectively assign roles to each team member.
"Hmm~ To be honest, I think so too."
Kakashi, smiling, agreed with Kurenai without much regard for propriety, nodding slightly: "So, now, as teachers, we just need to eagerly await the excellent answer sheets our students will present~"
"Hmm~~~"
Hinata slightly raised her eyebrows, scrutinizing the large classroom in front of her with an extremely critical gaze.
Undoubtedly, this was the classroom used for the written exam in the original story. Since there was no interlude of fighting with Rock Lee to waste time, Hinata and the others arrived while there was still some time before the examiners arrived.
In the original story, the members of Hinata's group who met here still had some minor frictions with each other, but now, they were all under Hinata's command, so such a situation would naturally no longer occur.
"More than I expected. What do you think?"
Squinting and roughly estimating, Hinata determined that there were at least a hundred people here, plus the untalented ones already blocked downstairs, the total number of participants in this exam actually reached over two hundred.
It's worth noting that in the Naruto world, where the population isn't large, the gathering of over two hundred Genin at once was indeed quite a significant event.
"Hmph, it seems there are Genin from various villages, but I wonder about their actual strength."
Sasuke, with folded arms, was clearly also someone who attracted animosity without beating around the bush. After a rough scan of the bizarre-looking Genin of varying ages in front of him, he obviously showed a hint of disdain. After all, some individuals who clearly looked to be in their twenties and were still Genin at that age were indeed worthy of contempt.
Damn it~ It's those guys!
Kankurō and Temari, hidden among the crowd, both gritted their teeth. The lingering pain in their ribs clearly reminded them of the consequences of underestimating these rookies.
"Hey, are you guys moving as a group?"
Just then, a friendly voice entered Hinata and the others' ears. As everyone turned their eyes, they saw a silver-haired man with glasses. Undoubtedly, it was Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's loyal subordinate in the original story and currently an ace spy lurking in Konoha village.
"Who are you?"
Hinata spoke, feigning ignorance, and indeed narrowed her eyes slightly. How should she deal with this spy now? Kill him? It seemed unnecessary.
"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. I'm a Konoha ninja who has participated in the Chūnin Exams. Seeing you new faces, I instinctively feel a sense of familiarity."
It must be said, Kabuto's acting was at least very good. His familiar tone immediately garnered goodwill from the more naive ones like Naruto.
"Oh~ So you're Kabuto-senpai? Can you tell us what the Chūnin Exams are like?"
The somewhat timid Sakura subconsciously let out a sigh of relief. After all, in an environment full of opponents, the appearance of a friendly person was quite reassuring.
"Well, this must be your first time participating in the Chūnin Exams, right? Let me give you a piece of advice: don't underestimate everyone here. They are all elite Genin selected from various countries, representing the strength of their respective villages. Underestimating them can easily lead to trouble."
While saying such grand words, Kabuto subconsciously pushed up the frame of his glasses. As a ninja skilled in reading expressions, he could sense the confidence in these nine rookies and their disdain for his words.
"Since you've also experienced the Chūnin Exams, you must have information to share. Speak up. I want to hear the number of examinees and the distribution of ninja from each village, now."
Hinata, looking up slightly, spoke in a commanding tone, which made Kabuto's lips twitch. Although he had long understood this Byakugan girl's personality and behavior patterns from various sources, only by experiencing it could he feel the pressure as if being stepped on.
"Ahem~~ Well, I'll make a fool of myself. As you can see, information on ninja villages and ninja is recorded on these cards. As long as I channel chakra, I can..."
Coughing unnaturally, Kabuto still took out the ninja cards he had collected, just like in the original story, intending to explain them thoroughly to this young lady. But just then, Hinata suddenly turned around, her brows furrowed.
It was a very peculiar sensation, like a special kind of chakra, which Hinata still distinctly detected among the many people in the classroom.
How to describe that feeling? It was like catching a whiff of air freshener in a sweat-filled room. Even if it was just a faint trace, it was still very noticeable.
...Is there... something worth paying attention to, still present in this classroom?
Hinata's white eyes slightly narrowed, then suddenly activated her Byakugan. Like an invisible shockwave passing through the entire classroom, many Genin subconsciously felt a jolt throughout their bodies, feeling quite uncomfortable as if they were being seen right through.
In the vision of her Byakugan, Hinata indeed saw a distinctive chakra. Among the many chakras of consistent color, this particular one displayed a very special pale gold. It was currently cowering in the corner of the classroom, standing out like a speck of gold dust among a pile of inferior blue paint compared to the others' chakras.
Oh?
Deactivating her Byakugan, Hinata completely ignored the intensely hostile gazes around her and walked straight towards the corner where that chakra was. Passing several figures, the first thing she saw was a head of perfectly pure red long hair. Below that was a bespectacled girl, hugging herself, shrinking in the corner as if in fear. She didn't know if the girl noticed Hinata's aggressive gaze, but the trembling of her body was completely undeniable.
Indeed... I've truly found something good.
Upon seeing the red hair, some forgotten details in Hinata's mind also became active, reminding her who the red-haired girl cowering in the classroom corner was.
While similar to Gaara's red hair, this girl's red hair held a more special meaning. Moreover, even in the original story, there were almost only single-digit individuals left with this red-haired bloodline. She never expected to encounter practically the last one here.
Uzumaki... Karin!!
Unlike Naruto, who was half-blooded, this girl was a true Uzumaki clan member, and essentially the last pure-blooded Uzumaki female in the original story.
Confirming the name in her heart, Hinata's eyes instantly surged with strong desire and ambition. Undoubtedly, she knew exactly what she planned to do.
"Hehehehe~~ This is truly a delightful gathering for me. It seems I can enjoy myself even more."
Closing her eyes and chuckling, Hinata walked directly towards a desk in front of her. Due to the large number of participants, there were clearly not enough seats in the classroom now. Sitting at that desk was a tall Genin, who, judging by his headband, was one of the Waterfall Village ninja.
The tall Waterfall Village ninja had already noticed Hinata walking towards him and instinctively became wary: "What do you want, little girl?!"
His answer was a heavy punch straight to the lower abdomen. Although the Byakugan girl didn't use her Blaze Fist, her punching power, refined through Nanto Seiken training, had undoubtedly reached a terrifying level. The struck Waterfall Village ninja barely reacted before his eyes rolled back and he fell off the desk.
"Alright, it's better to sit down and listen to the information carefully."
Completely ignoring the shocked and angry gazes of the other two Waterfall Village ninja beside her, Hinata's tone was filled with the final elegance of a beast before a hunt.
"I've decided to take this exam seriously~"
"I hope it won't bore me."