Chaos reigned in the spectator stands.
In every section, ninjas from the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound shed their disguises and launched attacks against Konoha.
They did not intentionally harm the civilians. Instead, they used sleep-inducing Genjutsu to plunge the vast majority of the audience into a deep slumber.
Several Konoha Jonin dispelled the Genjutsu on their own. Immediately, the Sound and Sand ninjas lunged at these conscious Konoha shinobi.
Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi, and Might Guy were all within the range of the assault.
Battles erupted everywhere as various Ninjutsu exploded across the stadium.
A few of the Konoha Genin also remained unaffected by the Genjutsu.
Sakura, thanks to her exceptional chakra control, had dispelled the Genjutsu herself. She pressed two fingers together and tapped the shoulder of the sleeping Ino beside her.
"Release!"
With Sakura's low shout, Ino jerked awake from the Genjutsu's interference.
Kiba Inuzuka was bitten awake by his ninja dog, Akamaru, who sat upon his shoulder. Once conscious, he similarly tapped Hinata's shoulder with his fingers. "Release!"
Hinata's body swayed before she instantly snapped out of the Genjutsu.
"Kiba, this is..." She turned her head to look at the sleeping spectators on either side of them. Seeing the battles breaking out between ninjas both near and far, her delicate face grew solemn.
Kiba Inuzuka stood up, scanning the surroundings warily. "Look at their headbands," he said in a heavy voice. "It's ninjas from the Hidden Sand and Hidden Sound launching an attack."
"We need to protect ourselves first."
Hinata nodded. Veins began to bulge around her eyes as she activated her Byakugan.
The Byakugan was a Kekkei Genkai, granting its user X-ray vision and a near 360-degree field of view. With battles occurring throughout the stands, there was no telling if enemy ninjas were hiding nearby. Activating the Byakugan was the safest course of action.
As Hinata surveyed the area with her absolute vision, her gaze suddenly froze. She turned her head to look toward the right-rear.
There, in a row of seats adjacent to the aisle, the big brother who had treated her earlier and the blonde sister remained perfectly awake. The two sat calmly in their original seats, observing the surrounding battles as if they were completely unaware of how much danger they were in.
"Hinata, look out!" Kiba roared.
As he shouted the warning, his figure blurred forward, colliding with a black shadow lunging from the left-rear. The white ninja dog, Akamaru, let out a pained yelp.
Kiba groaned in pain as he was sent flying back, slamming heavily into the half-height retaining wall of the spectator stands. Clutching his stomach and moaning in agony, he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.
Hinata immediately snapped her attention away from Luo Chen and Kalifa. She fixed her Byakugan on the masked man in black robes who had attacked Kiba. "You're not ANBU... you're Kabuto-senpai...?"
The person who had injured Kiba was a ninja dressed as an ANBU. He had been lingering in the aisle behind them the entire time. Hinata had assumed he was a member of the Konoha ANBU responsible for maintaining order. Only after activating her Byakugan's X-ray vision did she realize the face behind the mask belonged to the previous Chunin Exam candidate, Kabuto Yakushi.
Kabuto Yakushi had participated in the first two stages of the Chunin Exams alongside them. Word was that he had graduated from the Academy years ago but had never managed to pass the Chunin Exams. Hinata had not expected him to disguise himself as an ANBU to attack her and Kiba. Furthermore, his strength was far greater than what he had shown during the exams; a single strike had left Kiba and Akamaru severely wounded and unable to stand.
Hinata's heart sank. She dropped into the Eight Trigrams Palm stance. She likely was no match for Kabuto, but she was the only one left who could protect Kiba. She would have to put her life on the line to stall until Kurenai-sensei or the others could come to her aid.
"I have no interest in harming a little girl."
Kabuto Yakushi pulled back his hood and removed the white mask from his face. He turned his head slightly, his gaze focusing on Luo Chen through his circular lenses.
"You don't seem to exist among the ranks of Konoha's shinobi. And yet, your eyes have been fixed on the high platform. Are you observing the two Kages?"
Kabuto was far more interested in the mysterious man who had treated Hinata. Instinct told him this man was not simple. He had neither been put to sleep by the Genjutsu nor lost his composure amidst a life-and-death battle between ninjas. He clearly had a source of confidence.
Kabuto did not want any unexpected factors interfering with Lord Orochimaru's plans. He intended to eliminate Luo Chen and the blonde woman—these two potential threats—first.
*Zzzt... Zzzt...* A surgical scalpel appeared in Kabuto's hand. The narrow blade crackled with green chakra electricity, emitting a faint buzzing sound.
Ignoring Hinata in front of him, he dashed forward, heading straight for Luo Chen and Kalifa.
Hinata didn't know how strong the two were, but they had shown her kindness. She reacted quickly, chasing after Kabuto in an attempt to stop him.
Kalifa turned her head toward Kabuto and couldn't help but chuckle. "He really knows how to pick his opponents."
She was speaking to Luo Chen.
"I might as well play with him for a bit," Luo Chen said with a smile. He raised a hand and made a grasping motion; a matching surgical scalpel manifested out of thin air in his palm.
As Kabuto reached him, the scalpel shrouded in green chakra slashed out with lightning speed. The green trails of the blade formed a net in the air, descending toward Luo Chen.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
A series of crisp metallic rings echoed. Luo Chen remained seated, moving his scalpel with a rhythm that seemed slow yet was incredibly fast. With effortless ease, he parried every single one of Kabuto Yakushi's attacks.
Seeing this, the pupils behind Kabuto's circular lenses constricted. His cold gaze shifted to lock onto the blonde woman. After their scalpels collided once more, he used the recoil to flicker away, reappearing on the blonde woman's right side.
Kabuto couldn't gauge the depth of the man in the black trench coat's power. He decided to target the woman instead. If he could capture her, he might be able to force the man into submission.
Seeing this, Luo Chen lost interest in playing. A surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body. The Haki slammed into Kabuto Yakushi.
"ROAR—!!!"
Kabuto's mind and spirit were rocked to the core. It was as if he had heard the roar of a beast with the power to shatter heaven and earth. His mind went blank, and all thought vanished.
When he finally regained consciousness, he was shocked to find himself kneeling on the ground. Kabuto had yet to recover from the spiritual shock; he looked up with a dazed expression. The moment his eyes met Luo Chen's indifferent gaze, he shuddered, and his scalpel clattered to the floor.
"You..." Kabuto's pale lips trembled. Unbeknownst to him, his clothes were already soaked with sweat.
What had just happened? That bestial roar had caused him to completely lose consciousness. Even now that he was awake, his body remained pinned to the floor, unable to muster a shred of strength.
"Stay still. If you move again, I will kill Orochimaru," Luo Chen said flatly.
When dealing with a war orphan like Kabuto Yakushi who had lost everyone dear to him, threatening his own life might not be effective. Threatening Orochimaru, however, was likely to work quite well. After all, Orochimaru was the only spiritual pillar and anchor in Kabuto's heart.
Hearing this, Kabuto's pale face shifted. He stared at Luo Chen with suspicion and alarm. "Just who are you?"
Luo Chen did not bother to answer. He would find out soon enough. He turned his head to the left.
Hinata had skidded to a halt. Standing on the back of a chair, she stared at the scene in a daze.
"Little girl, if you're worried about danger, you can come stand by me," Kalifa said with a kind smile.
Hinata snapped out of it, blinking in surprise before shaking her head. "No... no thank you," she whispered politely. She then remembered something and looked at Luo Chen.
Biting her lip, Hinata seemed to struggle with herself. Finally, she mustered the courage to ask, "Could... could you please help me treat Kiba and Akamaru?"
After speaking, her face flushed red, and she lowered her head, not daring to meet Luo Chen's eyes.
"I can. Bring him over."
Luo Chen's voice made Hinata breathe a sigh of relief. She immediately ran back to help Kiba up.
Kalifa watched her small figure and smiled. "That little girl really is shy."
To use a term Luo Chen had coined, she was "socially anxious." In Totto Land, Luo Chen often used that term to describe the Mermaid Princess, Shirahoshi. Nowadays, Shirahoshi spent every day holed up at home watching TV and reading manga, rarely ever stepping outside. This girl with the Byakugan from the Shinobi World was quite similar to Shirahoshi in personality.
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