novel-bin Chapter 264 Joint Chunin Exam 6
Chapter 264 Joint Chunin Exam 6
Within the Hyuga clan, the return of Hyuga Kanan brought an immense sense of security. Kanan was one of the strongest ninjas in the world, and with him in charge, no one dared to offend the Hyuga clan. Even the Konoha leadership dared not continue to oppress them.
Hiashi Hyuga also spent an afternoon speaking privately with Kanan Hyuga. Kanan didn't hide his purpose for returning to Konoha, simply informing Hiashi that Orochimaru had prepared a grand scheme to change the current situation in Konoha. Hiashi's face lit up with joy. He had long been dissatisfied with the current state of Konoha, but had been powerless to change it. Now that Orochimaru had decided to help Konoha change the situation, he thought it was excellent. From now on, the Hyuga clan wouldn't have to live such a difficult life in Konoha anymore, and could truly become a part of Konoha.
Having received the intelligence, Hyuga Hiashi began making arrangements within the clan to prepare for any possible developments. And so, the Hyuga clan began their busy preparations.
Time slipped away quietly, and the day passed quickly. The Joint Chunin Exams held by Konoha Village officially began amidst the scheming and calculating nature of each side. Hinata Hyuga, having made ample preparations, stepped towards the first hurdle of the exam with a heart full of trepidation. Meanwhile, Kanan Hyuga remained quietly in the clan compound, like a silent statue. He gazed silently into the distance, as if he could see through the void what was about to unfold. He knew that this grand drama, meticulously planned by Orochimaru, was about to begin, and he needed to remain calm and wait for the perfect moment to unfold.
Neji Hyuga was quite interested in the assessment and went to watch the first test. After all, he and Hinata Hyuga were both members of the Hyuga clan, and for members of the Hyuga clan, written tests might be an advantage over other ninjutsu tests. Therefore, Neji Hyuga hoped to be there to support Hinata Hyuga and give her some confidence and encouragement.
However, when he witnessed firsthand the various cheating methods employed by the ninjas during the written exam, he was utterly astonished. He was amazed by the sheer number of ways these ninjas could devise to pass the test. Many ninjas even used bizarre and unusual abilities to cheat, methods that even he, a genius ninja, found novel.
In this peculiar atmosphere, the written exam quickly came to an end. Due to its extremely high difficulty, only half of the candidates passed, while the other half were eliminated. As time passed, more and more candidates began to leave the examination room. Some smiled, seemingly happy that they had passed; others looked dejected, clearly annoyed that they had failed and lost their chance to perform on the stage later.
Hyuga Neji stood quietly to the side, observing, inwardly marveling, "So there are so many amazing abilities that can be used to cheat!" However, he also understood that the reason these ninjas went to such lengths to cheat was simply because they yearned to become true ninjas and pursue a higher level. Although this behavior wasn't clever, it reflected their dedication and determination to become ninjas.
Next came the true test of a ninja's survival skills—the second exam! Even a master like Hyuga Neji couldn't help but marvel at Konoha's ingenious planning after understanding the assessment task. This exam not only provided a genuine opportunity for those with ninja command abilities to showcase their skills, but also perfectly simulated the various situations ninjas might encounter while carrying out certain missions.
Surprisingly, the most outstanding performer in this assessment was a ninja team from Sunagakure. Their strength far surpassed that of ordinary Chunin, and even Hyuga Neji could sense the pressure emanating from one of their members. This made him secretly wary; such strength participating in this level of assessment clearly indicated ulterior motives. After all, his beloved younger sister was also participating in this assessment, and he absolutely could not allow her to suffer any danger.
Furthermore, Hyuga Neji, who was secretly observing, discovered that a very powerful ninja had also secretly entered the assessment area. Although the opponent's target was not Hyuga Hinata, Hyuga Neji still managed to observe him secretly.
The mysterious ninja was hidden in the shadows, his presence almost blending into the environment. If it weren't for Hyuga Neji's Byakugan, it would have been difficult to detect his existence.
The other person clearly noticed Hyuga Neji's gaze, but seemed unconcerned, continuing to move about the arena as if nothing was amiss. Hyuga Neji frowned, becoming inwardly wary. He didn't know who this mysterious person was or what their purpose was.
The mysterious figure suddenly attacked Uchiha Sasuke, an orphan of the Uchiha clan. However, the attacker clearly had ulterior motives, merely testing Sasuke before injuring him and quickly disappearing as if he had never been there. Hyuga Neji also realized that it was simply a test.
Hyuga Neji was filled with doubt and unease. He didn't know why this mysterious person would target the orphan of the Uchiha clan, nor did he know if he would reappear. But he knew that this mysterious person was definitely not simple, and even he had no confidence in dealing with him.
In the days that followed, everything was peaceful, and no unexpected events occurred. Hinata Hyuga performed exceptionally well; her team successfully passed the second test and reached the central area of the Forest of Death. At this moment, many ninjas had gathered on the field, mostly the instructors of the teams that had passed the test, including the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi.
When Hyuga Neji entered, he discovered that his teacher, Hyuga Kanan, was also there. His teacher rarely paid attention to the Chunin Exams, usually staying in the clan compound to train, seemingly waiting for something. It was unexpected that he would be here today to watch the exams.
Hyuga Kanan's gaze fell upon a ninja wearing a Sound Ninja headband. After nodding slightly to the ninja, he led Hyuga Neji to a high platform to quietly wait for the start of the assessment.
Hyuga Kanan's presence here was solely due to sensing Orochimaru's aura, which prompted her to come specifically. However, she hadn't expected Orochimaru to be disguised and blend in among these Jonin instructors, so she knew he wasn't ready to act yet and decided not to interfere. It would be a good opportunity to see if Konoha had any promising talents in recent years.
When Hiruzen Sarutobi saw Kanan Hyuga appear, his heart tightened, and he felt a little guilty. After all, he had done some unjust things to the Hyuga clan over the years. However, as Hokage, he quickly composed himself and regained his composure and dignity.
"Hey! Hyuga Kanan, what brings you here today?" Hiruzen Sarutobi approached Hyuga Kanan and asked in a calm tone, trying to hide his inner unease.
Hyuga Kanan smiled slightly, a mysterious light flashing in his eyes: "It's nothing, I just came to see how my niece is doing. I haven't had time before, but now that I have the chance, I naturally have to come and see."
Hiruzen Sarutobi frowned slightly. He didn't know what Hyuga Kanan's purpose was in suddenly appearing here. Was he simply there to see Hinata Hyuga's performance? Or was he using this opportunity to give him a warning? Various speculations flooded his mind, making Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression serious.
At this moment, all eyes were focused on Hyuga Kanan. Everyone was curious about who he was and why he received such high-level treatment from the Hokage. Discussions raged, with people speculating about the mysterious man's background. Some thought he might be a representative of a powerful clan, while others believed he had deep ties to Konoha. As for the Konoha ninja, most didn't recognize Hyuga Kanan, only recognizing him as a member of the Hyuga clan from his appearance. However, was it truly worthy of such treatment from the Hokage simply because he was a member of the Hyuga clan? After all, for years, Hiruzen Sarutobi had maintained vigilance and suppression towards the entire Hyuga clan. Even the clan head, Hiashi Hyuga, couldn't earn Hiruzen's respect and trust. Now, the Hokage's enthusiasm towards an unknown member of the Hyuga clan was truly perplexing.
Ignoring the stares of the crowd, Hyuga Kanan led Hyuga Neji to a raised platform beside the arena, quietly awaiting the start of the preliminaries. Since they were already there, Kanan decided it wouldn't hurt to watch; perhaps he'd be pleasantly surprised.
Hyuga Neji then began introducing the participants of the preliminary rounds to Hyuga Kanan. In the past few days, to protect Hyuga Hinata, he had thoroughly researched those who posed a threat to her. Although he hadn't used this information in the second round, he could now explain it to his teacher. He particularly emphasized the Sand Village ninja who carried a huge gourd on his back, had dark circles under his eyes, and a blood-red 'love' character etched on his forehead. After all, the man's intense aura of menace and bloodlust was the only one who posed even a slight threat to him, so he naturally wanted to highlight him for his teacher.
Hyuga Kanan also scanned the ninjas participating in the preliminary rounds with interest, focusing particularly on that Sand Ninja brat. Indeed, as Hyuga Neji had said, his aura and demeanor were completely different from the other ninjas. At the same time, Hyuga Kanan sensed a strange aura emanating from the boy, but it was blocked by a sealing jutsu, preventing him from clearly perceiving it.