You, When Did You

The Eye of Truth had long since calculated the trajectory, force, rotation, and even the subtle habits of Ino's wrist when she exerted power during her throw.

Ino's pupils constricted; how could her shurikenjutsu, which she prided herself on, be neutralized so easily?

On the other side, Hinata took a deep breath, facing the rolling Choji once more.

With the experience from their first encounter and Ling Xuan's clear instructions, she was still nervous, but her movements had gained a sense of order.

She successfully evaded him again, and the moment Choji was forced to turn, exposing the weakness Ling Xuan had pointed out, she gathered her courage and stepped forward.

She channeled her entire chakra into her palm and tapped it lightly against the back of Choji's right knee.

"Gentle Fist!"

Puff!

A soft, muffled sound echoed.

Choji's Human Bullet Tank shuddered violently, its rotation coming to an abrupt halt as it tilted uncontrollably to one side, nearly falling apart on the spot.

He felt a wave of numbness in his right leg, and his chakra circulation became sluggish.

"What?!" Choji was shocked; he never imagined that Hinata's seemingly soft palm could strike his weak point with such precision and cause such an effect.

Ino was even more dumbfounded. Hinata Hyuga, who usually didn't even dare to speak loudly, had actually... actually struck Choji's Human Bullet Tank.

She had even nearly broken his technique?! This must be a coincidence!

Just as Choji's form became unstable, Ling Xuan moved.

He didn't use any flashy ninjutsu, appearing instantly at Choji's side.

A kunai had appeared in his hand at some point, and he thrust it toward Choji with extreme precision at a devious angle.

More importantly, the subtle force transmitted through the kunai pierced directly into Choji's body, further disrupting his already unstable chakra.

"Whoa!" Choji cried out in pain. His massive body could no longer maintain the form of the Human Bullet Tank, shrinking back to its original size as he collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, his face filled with pain and confusion.

"Choji!" Ino exclaimed, her expression turning ugly in an instant.

The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse!

"Hinata, keep suppressing Choji. Don't give him a chance to use the Multi-Size Technique again."

Ling Xuan's voice commanded calmly. Upon receiving the order, Hinata, though still somewhat fearful of Choji, felt a surge of courage after seeing Ling Xuan disable him so easily.

She took the initiative to rush toward the gasping Choji, her small fists carrying the chakra unique to the Gentle Fist, continuously striking at Choji's joints.

Choji was overwhelmed, finding himself unable to fight back against Hinata's barrage.

"Ino Yamanaka, your opponent is me." Ling Xuan walked slowly toward the wary Ino.

Ino gritted her teeth; she knew she had to rely on herself now!

She quickly formed hand seals, aiming directly at Ling Xuan: "Don't underestimate me! Mind Transfer Technique!"

An invisible mental shockwave extended in a straight line toward Ling Xuan.

However, through Ling Xuan's Eye of Truth, Ino's mental energy fluctuations, the trajectory of her technique, and even her trembling fingertips caused by nervousness were clearly visible.

[Target: Mind Transfer Technique. Effective range: 10 meters (Ino's current limit). Method: Linear mental energy shockwave, invading the target's mental sea...]
[Weakness: The user's body cannot move while casting, the mental energy path is singular, easily disrupted or evaded...]

Just as the mental shockwave was about to touch Ling Xuan, his figure dissipated—it was a Substitution Technique!

"What?!" Ino was horrified; her Mind Transfer Technique had missed!

The next moment, she felt a chill at the back of her neck as a figure appeared silently behind her.

Ling Xuan extended two fingers and accurately pressed a special pressure point on the back of Ino's neck that controlled her nerves.

"Ugh!" Ino felt a wave of numbness spread throughout her body, her muscles instantly stiffening, leaving her unable to even muster the strength to form hand seals. "You... when did you..."

"Your Mind Transfer Technique has too obvious a wind-up, and your mental energy is too scattered."

Ling Xuan stated the facts calmly. "Besides, you seem to have forgotten that in actual combat, exposing your position and intentions so easily is extremely dangerous."

On the other side, Choji was also suffering under Hinata's Gentle Fist, which, while not powerful, was exceptionally precise.

His joints ached, his chakra was sluggish, and he was completely unable to perform the Multi-Size Technique again.

"Match over!" the proctor finally announced loudly. "The winners—Ling Xuan and Hinata Hyuga!"

Upon hearing the announcement, Hinata's legs went weak, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

She gasped for air, sweat dampening her bangs, but a luster never seen before shone in her white eyes.

She looked at her own hands, then looked at Ling Xuan in disbelief.

"W-we... won? Ling Xuan-kun?" Her voice trembled with excitement.

Ling Xuan nodded slightly at her: "Yes. Your Byakugan is very useful for scouting and judgment, and the precision of your Gentle Fist is quite good. Keep working hard, and you will become even stronger."

It was an objective evaluation, but to Hinata, it sounded like the most wonderful praise.

A crimson flush returned to her cheeks, and she nodded vigorously: "Yes! Thank you, Ling Xuan-kun!"

She felt that, perhaps... she was finally, just a little bit, able to keep up with this boy's footsteps.

Outside the arena, silence had long since fallen.

Everyone was stunned by what could only be described as a "tutorial-style" battle.

Ling Xuan had barely lifted a finger himself, yet through precise commands and a perfect grasp of timing, he had pushed Hinata's potential to the limit, easily defeating the formidable duo of Ino and Choji.

"Too... too strong..." a student muttered to himself, "Ling Xuan isn't just powerful himself; he's even made Hinata stronger!"

"It's not just Hinata's doing, obviously! It's Ling Xuan who's been directing her the whole time!"

"But Hinata's Byakugan and Gentle Fist actually landed! If it were anyone else, even with Ling Xuan's commands, it might not have been as effective!"

Iruka and Toma exchanged glances, both seeing deep shock and wild joy in each other's eyes.

"This kid's tactical mind and command ability... he's a born commander!" the Chunin Toma whispered.

The Anbu hidden in the shadows quickly transmitted the new intelligence.

[Target Ling Xuan, demonstrates S-rank tactical command ability, capable of maximizing teammate potential to a great degree. Possesses terrifying insight and counter-tactics against enemy jutsu and combat patterns.]

[Recommendation: Include in 'Command-type Ninja' or 'Special Tactical Consultant' training tracks...]

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly; the "control-everything" combat style Ling Xuan displayed exerted a pressure on him that felt even more daunting than raw power.

Naruto, meanwhile, was shouting excitedly, "Wow! Ling Xuan, you're amazing! Hinata, too! That was awesome!"

Ino Yamanaka, supported by Choji Akimichi, wore a look of frustration and dejection: "How could this be... I actually... lost to that shy girl and that quiet loner..."

Yet, the look she cast toward Ling Xuan held a hint of something she herself had not yet realized.

This boy was terrifyingly calm, and powerful enough to... make one's heart surrender.

Ling Xuan and Hinata walked off the field side by side. Feeling the gazes of awe, envy, and curiosity cast their way, Ling Xuan remained indifferent.

To him, this was merely another successful experiment.

The experiment proved that with the right guidance, Hinata's Byakugan could indeed become a powerful asset.