The brief interlude obviously did nothing to affect the actual course of the Chunin Exams. Although Kankuro and Temari had both suffered mild internal injuries from Hinata's dirty tricks, the three-man squad had come here on a mission and had no time to stop and recuperate. After a short rest, they practically fled into Konohagakure's examination venue.
Meanwhile, after eating their fill and settling the topic of their meeting, the members of the Hinata Group leisurely made their way to the exam venue as well. Just as in the original story, two forgettable Chunin disguised as ordinary people were guarding a fake examination room, while a large crowd of equally forgettable Genin, some pretending to be weak and some genuinely weak, clustered around the place arguing without end.
"Such a simple trick can stop this many people. Looks like dividing the exam into stages really is necessary."
Hinata walked at the very front. Behind her came Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke in one row, the two strategist-type shinobi Nara Shikamaru and Aburame Shino in another, the two medical-support shinobi Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino in a third, with Akimichi Choji and Inuzuka Kiba bringing up the rear. After so many days of group training, this small organization had clearly developed very distinct roles and positions.
Without question, the Hinata Group's arrival immediately drew astonished looks from everyone present. Shinobi clubs did sometimes travel in groups, but among Genin, a formation of nine people was still striking enough to attract attention. The surrounding noise noticeably died down. When Hinata and the others walked up the stairs toward the real examination site without even looking back, the Genin gathered at the fake entrance also began to realize that something was wrong, and their arguments quickly grew heated again.
"That said, why do I get the feeling you were deliberately targeting those three? They are pretty capable, especially the red-haired one, but that still doesn't seem like enough reason for you to go that far, does it?"
With his hands behind his head, Shikamaru asked out of genuine curiosity. He understood at least part of Hinata's personality. The Byakugan girl in front of him would not make trouble for other people for no reason, because there was no entertainment in it for her. She preferred teasing ferocious beasts to crushing ants underfoot.
"You're right. I was targeting them."
Hinata nodded without the slightest attempt to hide it. Ino, following behind, could not help looking worried. "Huh? Why? Those three are the Kazekage's children. Isn't acting like that a little too arrogant?"
"Do you remember what happened to the Publishing Factory's sales outlets in the Land of Wind? They were uprooted completely, and the locations were not far from Sunagakure. In other words, it's impossible for Sunagakure to bear no responsibility. More importantly, if we compare what happened to our sales outlets in other countries, we can at least determine that Sunagakure is the village most hostile to Konohagakure."
Hinata was obviously not someone who forgot a grudge. Her analysis made Shino frown as well. "Indeed. If we ignore every other factor and look only at the outcome, only the sales outlets in Sunagakure were completely destroyed. The damage in other countries was nowhere near as severe. And because those outlets provide funds directly to Konohagakure, we can assume that Sunagakure is the village most eager to weaken Konohagakure."
They had already discussed this analysis before, but bringing it up again still left everyone somewhat uneasy. Sasuke frowned faintly. "A bunch of cowards who only know how to move in the shadows. Then eliminating those three openly and honorably during this exam can serve as a small warning."
"As expected of Sasuke-kun~! That was so forceful~~"
Sakura and Ino immediately turned lovestruck at the same time again, making Naruto and Shikamaru shake their heads in unison. Thank goodness those two had not both been assigned to Team 7, or who knew how the squad could ever function. Only a girl like Hinata, who had no interest in Sasuke, could ignore romantic factors and lead the team with the greatest possible impartiality.
Inside the Jonin lounge, Hatake Kakashi, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai were currently on standby. Their present task was essentially to make sure the examination venue was not infiltrated or attacked.
"Seriously... they really do have nerve. Nearly crippling Sunagakure's squad the moment they disagreed is one thing, but now they're openly moving around as a nine-person group too... Am I supposed to feel relieved about this?"
After receiving the Anbu report on the incident, Kakashi looked caught between laughter and exasperation. Still, his expression made it obvious that he did not think his students had done anything wrong.
"Well~ Sunagakure's hostility toward Konohagakure has been quietly increasing for years. Those three they sent this time aren't harmless either. Their mission records show that each of them has at least two years of shinobi experience. Besides, according to the investigation at the scene, that group really was the first to provoke them verbally. If it were me ten years ago, I might've gone even further."
Asuma was clearly just as unconditional in defending his own students. Konohagakure and Sunagakure might still technically be allies, but recent intelligence could not be hidden from everyone. No one here was an idiot. The hostility between the two sides was visible to one degree or another.
"Exactly. Their group complements itself perfectly. Shino and Shikamaru provide intelligence, Sakura and Ino provide medical support, Hinata and Kiba handle reconnaissance, while Sasuke and Naruto supply combat power. They're perfect."
Kurenai was even more direct, and there was no mistaking the faint pride in her tone. As an outwardly gentle but inwardly strong and independent woman, she thought extremely highly of Hinata and strongly approved of this method of grouping together to crush opponents. The shinobi world valued cooperation and strength. If Hinata was capable of commanding three squads at once, that itself was proof of her ability. Not convinced? Then anyone else was free to do the same, provided they could find a leader everyone would obey and could assign every member of the group a sensible role.
"Mm~ To tell you the truth, I think the same way."
Shamelessly agreeing with Kurenai, the smiling Kakashi nodded slightly. "So for now, all we teachers need to do is wait with high expectations for the excellent answers our students are going to hand in~"
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"Mm~~~"
Hinata raised one eyebrow slightly and scrutinized the large classroom before her with an exceptionally demanding eye.
Without question, this was the classroom used for the written test in the original story. Since they had not wasted time on the incident involving a fight with Rock Lee, Hinata and the others arrived with quite a while left before the examiners were due.
In the original story, members of the Hinata Group who met here had still experienced a few minor frictions among themselves. Now, however, all of them were under Hinata's leadership, so naturally nothing of the sort would happen.
"More people than I expected. What do you think?"
Narrowing her eyes and making a rough estimate, Hinata determined that there had to be well over a hundred people in the room. Add in the incompetent candidates who had already been stopped downstairs, and this exam actually had more than two hundred participants.
In the Naruto world, where the population was not especially large, gathering more than two hundred Genin in one place really was a major event.
"Hmph. Looks like there are Genin from all the different villages. The question is how strong they actually are."
Sasuke folded his arms, clearly the kind of person who attracted hatred everywhere he went without even trying to soften his words. After casually sweeping his eyes over the strange-looking Genin of wildly varying ages in front of him, a trace of contempt naturally appeared on his face. Some of them were visibly already in their twenties. Still being Genin at that age was, frankly, worthy of disdain.
Damn it~ It's those bastards!
Hidden in the crowd, Kankuro and Temari both clenched their teeth. The lingering pain between their ribs was still reminding them what had happened when they underestimated these rookies.
"Hey, are all of you moving together as one group?"
At that moment, a friendly voice reached Hinata and the others. When everyone turned, they saw a silver-haired man wearing glasses. Without question, it was Orochimaru's fanatically loyal subordinate from the original story and the ace spy currently infiltrating Konohagakure—Yakushi Kabuto.
"Who are you?"
Hinata knowingly asked the question as she narrowed her eyes slightly. What should she do with this spy at the moment? Kill him? There did not seem to be any real need.
"I'm Yakushi Kabuto. You could say I'm a Konoha shinobi who's participated in the Chunin Exams before. Seeing rookies like you gives me a strange sense of familiarity."
Kabuto's acting skills were at least excellent. This instantly familiar, friendly manner immediately won some goodwill from the more foolish members of the group, Naruto included.
"Oh~ Then you're Kabuto-senpai? Can you tell us what the Chunin Exams are actually like?"
The comparatively timid Sakura instinctively relaxed. In a place full of opponents, the appearance of someone friendly was naturally reassuring.
"Well, this should be your first time participating in the Chunin Exams, right? Let me give you some advice. Don't think everyone here is simple. They're elite Genin selected from countries all over the world, representing the strength of their respective villages. Underestimating them is an easy way to suffer."
Kabuto spoke in this grand and respectable manner, but instinctively pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. As a shinobi skilled at reading people, he could sense the confidence surrounding these nine rookies and the disdain they held toward his warning.
"Since you've taken the Chunin Exams before, you must have intelligence you can share. Tell me. I want to hear the size of the candidate pool and the distribution of shinobi by village. Now."
Hinata lifted her chin slightly. Her commanding tone made the corner of Kabuto's mouth twitch. He had already learned about the Byakugan girl's personality and behavioral patterns through multiple channels, but only experiencing them in person let him understand the pressure. It felt as though an immense pressure were bearing down on him.
"Ahem~~ In that case, allow me to show you. As you can see, information about hidden villages and shinobi is recorded on cards like these. As long as I channel chakra into them, I can..."
After coughing somewhat unnaturally, Kabuto followed the original story and took out the Ninja Info Cards he had collected, intending to explain everything properly for this young lady. But at that exact moment, Hinata suddenly turned, her brows knitting tightly.
It was a very peculiar sensation, almost like some unusual kind of chakra. Even among the many people in this classroom, Hinata had still caught a distinct trace of it.
How could that feeling be described? It was like catching the faint scent of air freshener in a room filled with the stench of sweat. No matter how slight it was, it remained strikingly obvious.
...Is there something... worth paying attention to inside this classroom?
Hinata's pale eyes contracted slightly, then she abruptly activated her Byakugan. It was as if an invisible shock wave swept through the entire classroom. Many Genin instinctively shuddered, feeling deeply uncomfortable as though their bodies had just been seen through.
Within the vision of her Byakugan, Hinata truly did see one patch of chakra that stood apart from the rest. Among the many similarly colored chakra signatures, this one appeared as a very distinctive pale gold, huddled in a corner of the classroom. Compared with everyone else's chakra, it was like a streak of gold pigment mixed into a heap of cheap blue paint, impossible not to notice.
Oho?
Hinata deactivated her Byakugan, completely ignoring the hostile gazes around her, and looked directly toward the corner where that chakra was located. Beyond several figures, the first thing she saw was a head of pure, brilliant red hair. Below it was a bespectacled girl clutching her own arms and shrinking into the corner as if terrified. Hinata had no idea whether the girl noticed her predatory stare, but the trembling running through her body was impossible to hide.
As expected... I really did find something good.
The sight of that red hair brought several half-forgotten details back to life in Hinata's mind, reminding her exactly who the red-haired girl huddled in the corner was.
Her hair was similar in color to Gaara's, but this girl's red hair carried a far more special meaning. Even in the original story, there were barely a handful of people left with this bloodline. Hinata had not expected to encounter someone who could practically be called the last of them here.
Uzumaki... Karin!!
Unlike the half-baked Naruto, this girl was a genuine member of the Uzumaki Clan, and essentially the last pure-blooded female Uzumaki in the original story.
The moment she confirmed the name in her mind, intense desire and ambition surged through Hinata's eyes. Without question, she knew exactly what she intended to do.
"Hehehehe~~ What a delightful gathering. Looks like I can have even more fun than I expected."
Closing her eyes with a faint laugh, Hinata walked straight toward a desk in front of her. With so many candidates participating, the classroom was clearly short on seats, and a tall, heavily built Genin was currently sitting on that desk. Judging from his forehead protector, he should be one of the Takigakure shinobi.
The tall Takigakure Genin had noticed Hinata walking toward him long ago and instinctively tensed. "What do you want, little girl?!"
Her answer was a heavy punch straight into his abdomen. The Byakugan girl did not use Flame Fist, but the striking power she had developed through Nanto Seiken (South Dipper Holy Fist) had unquestionably reached a terrifying level. The Takigakure Genin barely had time to react before his eyes rolled back and he tumbled off the desk.
"All right. It's better to sit down and listen carefully to the intelligence."
Completely ignoring the shocked and furious looks from the other two Takigakure Genin nearby, Hinata's voice carried the poised calm of a predator just before it pounced.
"I've decided to take this exam seriously~"
"I only hope it won't bore me."