After the battles between Tenten and Temari, and Shikamaru and Kin Tsuchi, the exam reached a new climax!
The two participants stepping forward to battle were actually both from the Hyuga clan.
Hyuga Hinata VS Hyuga Neji!
"Ah~~~" Hinata looked at her number on the electronic board, her body trembling slightly.
She hadn't expected that her opponent would be her cousin Neji. Instinctively, she looked to Haruto for help.
"Haha!" Haruto smiled and gave her an encouraging nod.
Although in the original timeline Hinata was beaten badly by Hyuga Neji, things were different now. Haruto believed such a thing wouldn't happen again!
Others might not know, but he knew exactly what treasures Hinata had drawn from the golden eggs.
Facing a mere Hyuga Neji? Too easy!
The only reason she was nervous was because of Neji's strong reputation. She lacked confidence.
"Don't worry, Hinata." Haruto touched her head gently. "Just use the abilities you got from the Golden Egg Shop."
"This Chūnin Exam isn't about who's the strongest—it's about who's most suited to be a ninja," said Kurenai with a warm smile.
"Yeah!" Hinata nodded firmly, her tone resolute.
Down in the arena, Hyuga Neji was already waiting.
He glanced at Hinata up in the stands, and a hint of envy flashed in his pale eyes.
"Why?"
"Why does everyone pay attention to you... but no one notices me?"
Behind him, Guy was busy chatting with Kakashi, completely unaware of Neji's rising anger.
"Is it just because you're from the main family and I'm from the branch family?" Neji clenched his fists until his nails dug into his palms.
"Is this fate?!"
From the stands, Haruto whispered something to Hinata. Her aura shifted dramatically as she flashed onto the stage before Neji.
"I didn't expect my opponent to be you, Lady Hinata," Neji said calmly.
"Brother Neji," Hinata replied quietly, "I didn't expect this either."
"Before we begin," Neji said suddenly, "I want to give you some advice."
"Even though you showed impressive progress in your match against the clan head, you're not strong enough to defeat me."
"I always fight with my full strength. So, to avoid getting hurt..."
"You'd best forfeit," Neji said, his Byakugan fully activated.
"What!" Hinata's eyes widened, not in shock at Neji's words—but because what he said was exactly what Haruto had predicted.
He had told her earlier that Neji would say this. She hadn't believed it at first. But now, it had happened exactly as Haruto said.
"That's amazing!" Hinata thought, glancing excitedly toward Haruto in the stands.
"Haha!" Haruto smirked faintly.
"In that case..." Hinata reached into her ninja tool pouch.
"What, you won't give up?" Neji asked with a scoff.
"Yes," Hinata said softly. "You're strong, Brother Neji, but I have my own reasons to fight."
"I might not win... but I'll never give up."
"Because that's... my ninja way."
Hinata thought back to the day Naruto had protected her from bullies, bloodied and bruised just to keep her safe. From that day on, she had sworn not to be weak again.
That day, when Pikachu stood by her, it felt like Naruto was protecting her once more.
With renewed resolve, Hinata didn't hesitate. She swallowed the mysterious pill in her hand.
"Hah, taking pills?" Neji sneered. "Even with medicine, you're no match for me!"
"Really?" came a cold voice. Everyone in the hall turned to look at Hinata.
The moment she swallowed the pill, her aura underwent a drastic change.
Gone was the shy, soft-spoken girl. Standing now was a cold, prideful warrior with sharper features and steely eyes.
Hinata glanced at Naruto, then locked eyes with Neji. "Enough talk. Come at me."
Boom!
The declaration stunned everyone.
Especially Kurenai—her eyes wide in disbelief.
Was this still the same Hinata?
How could she say something so bold?!
What had she just taken?
Kakashi pushed up his headband and muttered, "It's probably because of that pill she just took..."
Everyone froze for a second before realization struck.
Shikamaru, piecing it together, pulled out a similar pill and looked toward Haruto.
"Hey, Boss... is this the same one Hinata took?"
Haruto simply looked down at Hinata's confident stance and smiled.
When everyone else fainted from shock, Haruto was the only one completely unfazed.
Shikamaru sighed and tossed the pill aside. "Yeah, no way I'm taking this."
Naruto, on the other hand, was watching Hinata with curiosity.
He'd always thought she was strange—but now she seemed really cool!
If only she weren't so cold...
Just as he was thinking that, something hit him on the head.
He picked it up and read the label: "Sex-Changing Pill."
"Ooh, something interesting!" Naruto looked around. No one seemed to be missing it, so he casually slipped it into his pocket.
"Awesome! New material for my Sexy Jutsu!"
"This pill must change gender! One day, when Sasuke isn't looking, I'll slip it into his ramen..."
Hehehehe...
End of the Chapter.
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