Sora leaped away from the battlefield and said.
"Let's go because this place is becoming a center of trouble, and I can already sense that Konoha has dispatched the Anbu so I don't want to be noticed and tracked by them so soon."
Inuzuka Kiba and the others immediately followed behind him.
Shino Aburame glanced once more toward Kankuro's direction before leaving.
Among Hinata's team, he was the only one capable of confronting someone from Gaara's group without being at a disadvantage, and he was clearly the strongest member of their squad.
Just moments ago, he had been having an intense battle with Kankuro.
If Hinata and Kiba had not been completely suppressed, he would not have wanted to retreat so quickly.
Along the way, Hinata looked depressed.
She felt that she had become a burden to the group.
Otherwise, she and Kiba would not have been unable to fight Temari even while working together, and Sora would not have needed to protect her while fighting Gaara.
Sora suddenly accelerated and said, "Let's head straight to the Central Tower."
He charged forward with unstoppable momentum. Any traps, poisonous insects, or wild beasts that appeared in his path were crushed instantly.
The overwhelming display of power caused Shino and the others behind him to break out in cold sweat.
Hinata looked at Sora with shining eyes.
At their speed, reaching the Central Tower would not take long.
For most examinees, the difficulty of the Forest of Death was avoiding sneak attacks from other teams, dealing with traps, and surviving encounters with dangerous beasts.
But none of that posed any real challenge to Sora.
Soon, the Central Tower appeared in the distance.
At that moment, Sora quietly formed a hand seal.
Two figures suddenly leaped out from the bushes on both sides.
They were Sora's Shadow Clones, already disguised with the Transformation Jutsu.
Since the exam required a three-person team to pass, Sora had prepared them in advance.
The sudden appearance of the two clones startled Hinata and the others, but since the clones remained silent, no one spoke to them.
When they arrived at the Central Tower, they handed over the Heaven and Earth Scrolls.
Two chunin responsible for receiving examinees immediately appeared.
They looked at Sora and his group with clear shock.
One of them whispered, "Such speed... are they really genin?"
They quickly realized that Kiba's team had clearly followed Sora's lead the entire way.
Since Sora's team had broken the record for reaching the tower the fastest, the chunin arranged for them to rest in a designated waiting area.
Sora then turned toward Hinata and said, "Hinata, come with me."
Hinata had been quiet the entire time.
Kiba and Shino exchanged helpless looks.
They both understood Hinata's situation, but there was little they could do to help her.
Hinata lowered her head and said softly, "Sora, I..."
Her words trailed off.
Sora interrupted calmly and said.
"The next stage of the exam will be different from the previous one because it will no longer test teamwork and will instead focus entirely on individual strength."
He looked directly at her and continued, "No one will be able to help you anymore so you must learn to stand on your own."
He paused briefly and added firmly, "I will only say one thing because you can do it."
Sora gently lifted Hinata's delicate chin and looked directly into her eyes.
Ignoring her blushing face, he stared steadily into her timid but gentle gaze.
His eyes carried a subtle charm, almost like a light gengutsu suggestion, making his words more convincing and encouraging.
Hinata's eyes suddenly reddened.
She whispered softly, "Thank you."
Sora was the first person in her life who had repeatedly encouraged her.
Despite being so powerful himself, he had never once looked down on her.
Even though they had known each other for only a short time, he had helped her again and again.
The warmth of that support slowly filled Hinata's heart.
Although her performance had repeatedly disappointed her, Sora had always encouraged her.
Because of that, Hinata slowly began building confidence within herself.
At least one person believed in her.
Someone encouraged her.
Someone supported her.
Someone helped her.
Sora immediately noticed the subtle change in her eyes.
Although Hinata had struggled during the journey, his repeated encouragement had finally sparked confidence within her.
For someone seeking the path of becoming strong, believing in oneself was one of the most important foundations.
Suddenly, Hinata let out a small cry.
"Ah!"
Sora frowned slightly and looked down.
Hinata's delicate feet were trembling slightly.
During the earlier battle and their rush toward the tower, she had never mentioned her injury.
It was clear she had endured the pain silently because she did not want to slow everyone down.
She must have been injured earlier during her fight with Temari.
Sora said calmly, "Sit down."
Without hesitation, he picked Hinata up.
The sudden closeness caused Hinata's face to turn bright red.
Her heart raced wildly as she thought, What should I do because Sora is actually holding me?
Without realizing it herself, Sora's position in Hinata's heart had risen rapidly during this journey.
Originally, Hinata had a small crush on Naruto.
Like her, Naruto was often mocked and treated as a burden.
But during this journey, Sora had constantly cared for her, encouraged her, and protected her.
Without realizing it, she had barely thought about Naruto at all.
In truth, her feelings for Naruto were only a simple admiration born from shared loneliness.
They had barely spoken to each other.
Naruto had never directly encouraged or helped her.
But Sora had fought beside her, protected her, and encouraged her countless times.
Naturally, her attention shifted toward the person who had truly supported her.
At this point in time, Hinata's feelings for Naruto had not yet developed into love.
They were only a faint admiration.
Those feelings would not grow stronger until much later during her battle with Hyuga Neji.
However, Sora knew nothing about Hinata's complicated thoughts.
After carrying her to a stool, he carefully set her down.
Then he said calmly, "Take off your shoes."
...
Author's Note:
Naruto: Reborn as Tsunade's Son — Part 1 is now fully completed, with more than 130 chapters available on my Patreon!
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1. Dragon Ball: Oolong's Sex Adventure
2. Elements of Lust – ATLA & Korra Mixed Smut
3. Doraemon: Filtering with Nobi Tamako
4. The Naive Me Who Became Someone's Everyday Secret
5. High School DxD: Rias Gremory, the Phenex Bride
6. Versatile Mage: Awakening the Succubus System
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