Cooperative Battle with Hinata

The Eye of Truth provided a detailed analysis in an instant.

For Ling Xuan, it made little difference who his partner was, as he had sufficient confidence to control the entire situation.

Having Hinata as a partner was, if nothing else, an opportunity to observe the Byakugan at close range and attempt to guide its application.

"And the opponents for Ling Xuan and Hinata Hyuga are..." The examiner's voice drew everyone's attention back, "...Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi!"

"Yay! Choji, it's us!" Ino jumped up excitedly, casting a smug look in the direction of Hinata and Ling Xuan.

"Hmph, luck isn't on your side! Choji, are you ready? Let me show them what I can do in a moment!"

"Mm... barbecue..." Choji mumbled vaguely while stuffing potato chips into his mouth, though he began to get serious.

Although he was a glutton, as a reserve member of the Ino-Shika-Cho formation, he possessed the basic combat discipline required.

Upon hearing that her opponents were Ino, Hinata felt so nervous that her body began to tremble slightly.

Ino had an outgoing and sharp-tongued personality, and she was quite imposing in class, so Hinata was instinctively a bit afraid of her.

Just as Hinata was at a loss, a calm voice sounded beside her.

"Student Hyuga."

Hinata jumped, and when she looked up, she saw that Ling Xuan had already arrived in front of her.

"For the upcoming match," Ling Xuan's gaze was clear and direct, "follow my instructions. Don't let your mind wander; just perform at the level you usually train at. Remember, your Byakugan is your advantage."

His voice was not loud and carried no emotional color, yet it acted like a sedative, calming Hinata's panicked heart.

"Y-yes! Ling Xuan-kun! I... I will do my best!" Hinata nodded vigorously. Although her voice still trembled slightly, her eyes held a newfound luster after being encouraged.

After a brief preparation period, the simulated combat confrontation officially began.

In the first match, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno faced off against Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame.

Sasuke displayed powerful suppression from the start, his Fire Style combined with shurikenjutsu making for a fierce offensive.

Although Sakura was a bit flustered, she still tried her best to provide support.

Kiba and Akamaru had excellent coordination, but facing Sakura and the ferociously attacking Sasuke, they gradually fell into a disadvantage.

In the end, under the cover of one of Sasuke's beautiful "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," he defeated Kiba with close-quarters taijutsu, and Shino's bugs were also countered by Sasuke's flames, forcing him to concede.

The second match, featuring the duo of Naruto Uzumaki and Shikamaru Nara, was full of drama.

Naruto charged recklessly, his use of chakra incredibly crude.

However, his indomitable spirit and the astonishing stamina he occasionally unleashed caused his opponents no small amount of trouble.

Shikamaru spent the entire time complaining about how "troublesome" it was, yet he always managed to come up with strange strategies using his clever brain at critical moments.

For example, he used a rudimentary version of the Shadow Possession Technique to briefly control his opponents, creating an opening for Naruto.

Ultimately, amidst the chaos, Naruto managed a narrow victory over his opponents thanks to an "accidental" headbutt and one of Shikamaru's "perfectly timed" traps.

After several matches, the atmosphere on the sidelines grew increasingly heated.

"Next match! Ling Xuan and Hinata Hyuga versus Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi!"

Following the examiner's announcement, four figures walked into the center of the arena.

Ino stood with her hands on her hips, a confident smile on her face, glancing provocatively at Hinata across from her from time to time.

Choji had already finished his last bag of chips; he clapped his hands and assumed the starting stance of the Akimichi Style Taijutsu.

Hinata took a deep breath, trying hard to calm herself down, and she quietly glanced at Ling Xuan beside her.

He remained as calm and composed as ever, as if the opponents before him were merely two trees by the roadside.

This inexplicable sense of security gave her a bit of courage, and she assumed the stance of the Gentle Fist.

Ling Xuan's gaze swept calmly over Ino and Choji.

[Ino Yamanaka: Sensory Ability B, Mental Secret Technique Potential A, Taijutsu C-. Note the range and tell of her Mind Transfer Technique.]

[Choji Akimichi: Human Bullet Tank Power B+ (current stage), Multi-Size Technique consumes significant chakra, Defense A (after expansion). Note his impact force and coverage area.]

"Match—begin!"

At the examiner's command, Ino and Choji moved almost simultaneously!

"Choji! Spiky Human Bullet Tank!" Ino quickly formed hand seals while leaping backward, clearly intending to support Choji or find an opportunity to use her clan's secret technique.

Choji let out a low roar, his body rapidly expanding, and his hair grew hard as needles!

"Here it comes!" Ling Xuan's voice sounded in Hinata's ear, clear and calm.

"Hinata, activate your Byakugan, lock onto Choji's chakra flow, and watch for Ino's mental fluctuations. Move to my rear-left, and then..."

Hinata's heart tightened, and almost instinctively, she followed Ling Xuan's instructions and activated her Byakugan! The battle erupted in an instant!

The moment the examiner's words fell, Choji Akimichi had already charged toward Ling Xuan and Hinata like a cannonball fired from a chamber, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound.

The momentum of the Human Bullet Tank was unstoppable!

Meanwhile, as Choji launched his attack, Ino quickly formed hand seals, clearly preparing for a follow-up or waiting for an opening to use her clan's secret technique.

Facing this fierce first strike, Hinata held her breath in nervousness, her small face turning deathly pale.

"Three steps to the left, now!" Ling Xuan's calm voice rang out beside her ear.

"Activate your Byakugan, observe the chakra nodes beneath his body as he rotates, and tell me how they change."

Hinata executed Ling Xuan's command almost as a conditioned reflex.

Her feet tapped rapidly as she shifted three steps to the left, narrowly avoiding danger, while the veins at the corners of her eyes bulged.

"Byakugan—activate!"

Her field of vision shifted instantly; Choji's high-speed rotating body was no longer just a ball of flesh in her eyes, but a clear network of flowing chakra.

She fought through the discomfort of performing such precise observation in actual combat for the first time, straining to lock onto the chakra node Ling Xuan had mentioned.

The gale force carried by the Human Bullet Tank swept past, nearly grazing the hem of her clothes and breaking her out in a cold sweat.

"He... every time he adjusts his direction, the chakra at that node... it has a very brief stagnation, and only then... does it become smooth again!"

Hinata's voice trembled, yet she relayed her observations with exceptional clarity.

"Very good." Ling Xuan's voice remained calm.

This intelligence matched his Eye of Truth's predictions perfectly. Hinata's Byakugan was indeed capable of capturing such subtle flaws.

Just as Choji missed his strike and attempted to adjust his direction to attack again, Ino's support arrived.

Several shuriken were launched toward Ling Xuan, attempting to restrict his movement and create an opening for Choji.

"Hinata, Choji is yours. Repeat the evasion you just performed, then attempt to strike using the most concentrated power you can muster. I will handle Ino."

Before his words had even faded, he moved slightly, dodging every shuriken without a single wasted motion.