The Terrifying Heart Protection Hair

"I never thought that even among Konoha's kunoichi, there'd be such a difference. You're Sakura, right? You're a disgrace..."

Unlike the arrogant Dosu and Zaku, Kotone was a woman, so she was naturally more cautious.

As soon as she clashed with Sakura and Hinata, she accurately gauged their strength:

The ninja called Sakura was mediocre, while the one called Hinata was her true enemy.

And to make matters worse, the two of them were fighting her together.

Seeing this, Kotone immediately decided to provoke Sakura, hoping to throw her off balance and win in the chaos:

"With skills like yours, you actually made it into the Chunin Ninja Exams? I suppose your teammates are strong enough to carry you, huh?"

"What are you talking about, you—!"

Kotone's words hit a nerve, and Sakura flushed with anger.

But even as they fought, she forced herself to suppress her rage, channeling it all into her attacks instead.

Kotone clearly hadn't expected a single remark to be enough to rattle Sakura. As the fight continued, her insults grew more and more vicious.

"Riding on their coattails," "useless," "getting something for nothing"—and, by the end, she was even accusing Sakura of "sleeping her way to the top."

At last, Sakura couldn't take it anymore.

Staring at Kotone's increasingly hateful face, her eyes bloodshot, Sakura felt the blood rush to her head. She threw caution to the wind and prepared to fight with everything she had!

"Sakura, stop!"

The instant Sakura lost her temper, a cool stream of chakra flowed into her from behind.

It not only suppressed the chakra running wild inside her but also calmed her down.

When she turned around, she saw Hinata standing beside her:

"You just fell under her genjutsu. Judging by what I saw, those two bells on her body are probably the trigger. Be careful!"

"Thank you, Hinata!"

Sakura glanced at Kotone, still shaken, then turned to Hinata with gratitude:

"If you hadn't been there, I would've gotten hurt!"

"It's fine. We're teammates fighting together right now, after all."

Hinata replied calmly:

"And she's right. Your skills really are terrible. At this rate, you could die in an instant!

Honestly, I don't know how you had the nerve to enter the exams.

If you just wanted to get an early look at what the exams were like, a fight like this is still too much for you!"

Sakura: "..."

In Sakura's memory, Hinata had always been an inconspicuous presence in class.

Whether she was doing something or speaking, she had always been timid and hesitant.

Sakura had no idea how Kazeka had treated Hinata, but now she wasn't just frighteningly strong—she could also say things that cut straight to the bone!

"Hm? You don't like what I said?"

Seeing Sakura's expression, delinquent Hinata glared at her:

"What, you're too weak to fight, and now you can't even take criticism? If you're unhappy, go team up with the other side. Then I'll beat both of you up together!

Why are you looking so miserable? You're a ninja. Strength comes first.

What good is obsessing over boys all the time? Once you're strong enough, you can have any man you want.

If you see someone handsome, just take him for yourself!"

"Uh..."

Hinata's wildly unconventional lecture left Sakura gaping. At this point, Sakura was still a young girl longing for beautiful romance.

But Hinata's words seemed to open the door to a whole new world for her.

She thought it over. Sasuke was always interested in Naruto, but if she became stronger than Sasuke and forced him...

At the thought, Sakura's cheeks turned crimson, and she even squealed:

"Just thinking about it gets me so excited!"

"Useless, just as I thought. You're on a battlefield, yet you're having such an emotional reaction. Someone like you isn't a threat at all..."

Kotone glanced at Sakura contemptuously, then turned her attention to Hinata:

"I was a little wary of you before, but now..."

Kotone clenched her fists:

"Your teammate Kazeka really does have some impressive tricks.

I can feel the chakra inside me surging rapidly.

This boost seems even stronger than Zaku's. Soon, you'll be defeated!"

"Your reaction is rather unexpected..."

Hinata didn't rush to attack. Instead, she studied Kotone with mild curiosity:

"After seeing what happened to your teammates, aren't you afraid at all?"

"You were right at the start. Strength is the foundation of us kunoichi.

As for the side effects, I can live with becoming more carefree!

If I defeat you while this surge of strength lasts, that researcher called Kazeka will have no choice but to give us the antidote!"

Kotone brushed a lock of hair behind her ear:

"Being a little more bold and carefree... this feeling of dashing confidence is pretty nice... nice... what?!"

Halfway through her sentence, Kotone stared at her arm in disbelief:

"Why is my skin so dark?"

"Hmm, it seems you've finally noticed something's wrong..."

Hinata stood calmly in place, then delivered the truth that sent Kotone into despair:

"I've known Kazeka for a long time. That guy has a terrifying knack for understanding people.

He wouldn't do something that only made his opponents stronger.

And it looks like this is the true effect of his drug:

Your personality won't become more masculine. On the contrary, you'll become even more feminine. What's really changing is your appearance!

You're turning into a burly man!"

"Impossible. That's impossible..."

"There's nothing impossible about it. Hinata's right..."

Kazeka's voice rang out from afar, confirming Hinata's explanation once and for all:

"That's exactly what's happening. If you don't surrender, all that awaits you is a living hell of despair!"

"I don't believe you!"

Kotone screamed in terror, but her voice sounded startlingly deep. Alarmed, she quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Then she noticed, horrified, that her arms had grown much thicker. Her skin was darker, and her body hair was beginning to grow wildly!

Kotone Hammer was a Sound Ninja with a slender body, fair skin, and a classic oval face. She was a natural beauty.

Her greatest dream was to be a woman who could reach the pinnacle of the Shinobi World while remaining beautiful.

She wanted to be the perfect kunoichi, possessing beauty, strength, and intelligence all at once.

But when she saw her body changing into something so strange, she completely lost it.

Turning toward Kazeka, she let out a furious, thunderous roar!

"You bastard! What exactly did you do to me?!"

"Just as I thought, a kunoichi's nerves can't be compared to a male ninja's. She's already unable to handle it at this stage..."

Kazeka glanced at Kotone and shook his head gently, then spoke words as terrifying as those of the most fearsome demon in the abyss:

"Just wait until you grow heart protection hair. Then you'll really break down!"