I Stand at the Forefront of Popularity Supremacy

Hanabi princess-carried Hinata and headed toward the house.

The image is from Pixiv 107571568; the lower half feels like it can't really be shown. Also, this Hanabi Hyuga looks like Mikasa...

Even though it's Hanabi Hyuga, due to the influence of the Character Card, there are actually differences in appearance.

If you have any interesting ideas or creativity, or different worlds and gameplay, feel free to speak your mind~

Thanks for everyone's monthly tickets, collections, and recommendations, and thanks to Shuke 4922266, The Sun Still Rises, and other readers for their tips, meow~

~o( =∩ω∩= )m

Chapter 5: I'm a Pro at Messing with Minds

The next day.

"Then let's begin the graduation exam. Those whose names are called, come to the next classroom. The test this time is the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

On exam day, as soon as Iruka-sensei announced the subject, Naruto showed a look of despair.

"Why does it have to be this unlucky, the one ninjutsu I'm bad at!"

Though the real Naruto said nothing, in the video on the Dimensional Popularity Stage, Hanabi got to enjoy Naruto's crushed expression.

Pretty amusing.

The exam order was the same as the previous test order; the first was Hanabi.

She had two daily Camera Cards left, and she used them directly.

The one-minute plot of the first episode is more important than the ten-minute plot of the five-hundredth episode.

So Hanabi wasn't stingy and used a Camera Card straight away.

This scene seemed to be judged as "daily life," so after Naruto's wailing ended, the screen cut directly to Hanabi.

"Excuse me. Examinee number one, Hanabi Hyuga."

The exam room was an empty classroom with only a podium. Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei sat there, with several rows of forehead protectors placed in front of Iruka-sensei.

"Begin," Iruka nodded to Hanabi. Though he knew she had no vision, he still respected his students.

"It's already begun."

Another "Hanabi" walked over from behind her.

"No hand seals? A seal-less jutsu?!" Mizuki wasn't familiar with Hanabi, and her technique surprised him.

[Come to think of it, it seems like everyone else needs hand seals for their jutsu. Our Lady Sparkle never uses them?]

[More special effects?]

[Hanabi: Special effects, I added special effects.]

"It's just a trick, Mizuki-sensei. Hanabi, hurry up and show your real skill. One clone won't pass."

Iruka was unfazed; prying into someone else's technique was rude. Whether it was a true seal-less jutsu, a magic trick, or a genjutsu cover, it was her own skill.

In the ninja world, information is crucial, so Iruka directly steered the topic away for his student.

More than that, he worried his student might fail the exam by trying to create buzz.

Iruka had seen Hanabi's Clone Technique before, but this time he felt like she wasn't using the Clone Technique at all.

Using genjutsu to fake the Clone Technique and fool the examiners during the graduation exam?

That shouldn't be the case... right?

"Of course, it's not just one."

Two more "Hanabis" walked out from behind her.

Two became four, four became eight, eight became sixteen—like bacteria splitting, more and more Hanabis filled the entire classroom.

A crowd of Hanabis stood smiling across from Mizuki. Though Hanabi herself was a beauty, a whole bunch of beauties smiling in unison was a bit creepy.

"Mm..." Mizuki flipped through Hanabi's records. "Hanabi-san ranked first in the written exam and is also skilled in genjutsu. For someone from the Hyuga Clan, I didn't expect this to be your forte."

"Maybe I'm using genjutsu to hide the hand seal process~ Oh, and maybe this itself is genjutsu~"

Hanabi's voice suddenly came from beside Mizuki. She even blew a puff of air.

Mizuki: "--!!!"

He turned his head and saw a phantom gradually fading away. Realizing something was wrong, Mizuki immediately restrained the killing intent in his eyes.

Unlike others' clones that vanished into smoke, Hanabi's "phantom" dissipated like mist.

[The teacher got startled]

[That white-haired guy's eyes flashed with murder, something's off]

[Best at genjutsu? Could it be that the transformation earlier and these clones are all faked with genjutsu?]

[Honestly, it's possible]

[This Clone Technique is the same model as Kurumi's]

[Was Sparkle's move just now a bit like a Little Demon Girl?]

[Little Demon Girl Sparkle? I'm in~]

"Don't pull flashy stunts like that next time, Sparkle. This is an exam." Iruka sighed. "Well, you passed anyway—sixty-four clones, when most students pass with three or five... Wait, Sparkle, was that the Clone Technique you just used?"

Iruka hadn't thought about it before.

But Sparkle's earlier move had thrown him off.

—Could she have actually used Genjutsu on the teacher, and never used clones at all?

"Well, who knows~"

Sparkle didn't answer.

[Iruka: I'm thrown off]

[So did Sparkle use the Clone Technique or Genjutsu?]

[I can't tell, I can't tell!]

[Fuck, there's a Forgotten Path here too!]

[Any big shots analyzing this?]

[Do you even need to ask? It's obviously Genjutsu. Iruka already said it—normal people max out at three or five, so this many has to be fake.]

[Sparkle: Genjutsu, I added Genjutsu!]

Though he couldn't figure it out, Iruka and Mizuki... really couldn't tell.

Sparkle's Character Card provided Genjutsu bonuses, enough to fool an average Chunin.

After the exam ended, the Third Hokage and the parents also arrived at the school.

"Father." Hinata and Sparkle's father, Hyuga Hiashi, came to the scene as well.

"Mm. You both did well." Hyuga Hiashi nodded. He looked at Sparkle, then averted his eyes.

After Sparkle was taken, it was Hyuga Hiashi who brought her back.

At the time, the Kumogakure Ninja Leader discovered Sparkle had destroyed her own eyes, throwing off his rhythm and preventing his escape from Konoha, giving Hyuga Hiashi an opening.

When he found his daughter had blinded herself to protect the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, Hiashi, enraged, was about to strike the Kumogakure Ninja Leader dead with one palm.

Sparkle stopped him just in time, sparing the man's life.

But Sparkle had something to say: Come on, this guy's a glass cannon—in the original, he gets one-shotted. Now with Hiashi's hate-fueled strike, he'd definitely die.

According to the setting book, this Ninja Leader was arrogant and fierce-looking, but in reality, he was the type who'd die if you so much as looked at him wrong.

After that, Konoha gained an advantageous position in negotiations with Kumogakure, and the Hyuga Clan received compensation from the Hokage, but Hiashi always felt he'd failed his daughter.

So whenever he interacted with Sparkle, Hyuga Hiashi couldn't bear to look her in the eye, weighed down by guilt.

"What's wrong, Sparkle?" Hiashi noticed her attention seemed elsewhere.

"My friend didn't pass the exam, it seems. I'm going to comfort him."

This was a great chance to steal some screen time.

"That is..."

Hyuga Hiashi spotted Naruto Uzumaki sitting over there. The adults all discouraged their children from interacting with him, but Sparkle didn't care, and Hiashi didn't stop her—he just watched over her from the side. Even with the Neji incident, when Sparkle argued with the clan, Hiashi stood by his daughter.

A real daughter-con, that one.

The Clone Technique was a simple jutsu, and almost everyone passed the exam.

But that didn't mean true graduation. Only after being assigned to a team and passing the Jonin instructor's test would they truly graduate.

For now, the only one who hadn't passed was Naruto Uzumaki. He sat alone on a swing under a tree.

"Hey, that kid."

"That kid."

"Looks like he's the only one who failed."

"Serves him right."

"It'd be terrible if someone like that became a ninja."

"After all, that kid is..."

Two middle-aged women sneered and muttered from a distance.

[From the opening, you know the protagonist has a special identity.]

[Here it comes, the classic Japanese trope!]

[From my experience watching anime, Naruto's probably the Nine-Tails from the start, or the Human Host who sealed it.]

[What Human Host, this isn't Ultraman 2333]

[Maybe the protagonist's cheat is transforming into Ultraman for three minutes.]

[I think it's the old man mentor style.]

"Excuse me." A voice interrupted their conversation, putting an end to this overly "classic" scene.

"Ah, it's Miss Hanabi of the Hyuga Clan."

The two instantly changed their expressions.

"Old biddies, could you move aside? I want to see my friend."

The two froze.

"Uh, what did you say..."

"I said, old biddies, get lost and stop blocking the way."

[Simple trash talk, ultimate enjoyment 2333]

[Whoa, Lady Sparkle is so direct]

[Dealing with gossips, you gotta be straightforward; not slapping them twice is already lenient]

[I thought Lady Sparkle would be more tactful, didn't expect her to be this blunt]

[66666]

After being scolded, the two froze, mechanically and stiffly shuffling out of the way.

Hanabi Hyuga was not the heir of the Hyuga Clan; the heir was her sister, Hinata Hyuga. But everyone knew Hanabi's talent was outstanding, and she was deeply favored by the clan head, Hyuga Hiashi. The only reason she wasn't the heir was her blindness.

"Naruto."

Hanabi walked over to Naruto's side.

"It's Hanabi."

Naruto managed a smile, but it was clearly forced.