The Preliminaries Ended

A few days passed in a flash.

There was no need to say much about the Chunin Exams. The main team made it to the end without a hitch.

The jōnin from each village gathered at the Heaven and Earth Tower.

The teacher leading Otogakure's team looked exactly like Orochimaru.

Yet the Third Hokage was standing right beside him and didn't notice a thing.

Before the final round could begin,

the Genin who had passed the second stage had to compete in a preliminary round.

Everything went just like it had in the anime.

The only difference was

there was one more spectator.

Su Yu stood in the stands, watching the preliminaries.

Hinata Hyuga and Neji Hyuga's match wasn't as one-sided as he'd imagined.

The two of them were trading blows evenly.

That irritated Neji Hyuga, and he sped up his attacks.

Hinata Hyuga was already injured after taking several hits because of her lack of stamina, but she still refused to surrender.

Su Yu watched from the sidelines, his brows knitted.

He could tell Hinata Hyuga was trying to show him what she could do.

But the gap between her and Neji Hyuga was enormous. Gritting her teeth and enduring it wouldn't be enough to overcome it.

Kurenai Yuhi, the jōnin leading the Reconnaissance Squad, looked deeply worried.

In the end, Hinata Hyuga collapsed to the ground.

Su Yu reacted first. He landed beside Hinata Hyuga and carried her away.

The medical ninja nearby were startled.

They could tell Hinata Hyuga was gravely injured. In her condition, being carried away by Su Yu could easily leave her with lasting complications.

"I'm a medical ninja too," Su Yu said, then headed for a room.

The medical ninja exchanged glances, still somewhat concerned.

Kurenai Yuhi followed Su Yu.

After carrying the gravely injured Hinata Hyuga into the room, Su Yu immediately began treating her.

Kurenai Yuhi watched from the side and breathed a sigh of relief.

Though she wasn't a medical ninja, she could tell Su Yu was very skilled at Medical Ninjutsu.

Before long,

Hinata Hyuga opened her eyes.

When she saw Su Yu, she lowered her head.

"Jōnin Kurenai." Su Yu turned to look at Kurenai Yuhi behind him.

"I'll leave Hinata in your care." Kurenai Yuhi knew they had things to talk about, so she tactfully left.

Once the door was closed,

"I'm sorry," Hinata Hyuga whispered.

"You idiot." Su Yu rested a hand on her head.

Hinata Hyuga felt a warmth spread through her heart.

"You knew you couldn't beat him. As a ninja, it's foolish to knowingly throw yourself into danger and keep fighting when you're outmatched." Su Yu patted her head.

"I... I wanted..."

"I know what you're thinking. Actually, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Later on, he'll feel guilty about what happened today and do everything he can to protect you," Su Yu said softly.

"R-really?" Hinata Hyuga looked at Su Yu.

Su Yu nodded without explaining further.

Then he held out his arm to Hinata Hyuga.

"Bite my arm, and you'll recover. This is my biggest secret."

Hinata Hyuga froze.

Her first reaction was disbelief.

"Don't just sit there. Your injuries are serious. If you don't recover in time, they could affect your future," Su Yu urged her.

Only then did Hinata Hyuga react. She gently bit down on Su Yu's arm.

The next moment,

she felt the pain in her body begin to ease.

After a long while,

Hinata Hyuga had recovered.

She wasn't completely healed, but she could feel that she was much better.

"Get some rest. Keep pretending to be seriously injured, and don't tell anyone about my ability—not even your family. Understand?" Su Yu said seriously.

Hinata Hyuga nodded firmly.

Su Yu tucked her in and kissed her forehead. Then he got up and left the room.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka standing by the door.

"Don't worry. Her injuries aren't serious," Su Yu said simply.

Shino Aburame and Kiba Inuzuka breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't need to hold a grudge against Neji Hyuga, either. Hinata's injuries have to do with the Hyuga Clan's system. Before long, Neji Hyuga should change his attitude toward her," Su Yu reminded them.

"Hinata told us about it," Kiba Inuzuka said.

"The Hyuga Clan's system is cruel," Shino Aburame remarked.

Su Yu nodded without denying it.

After the preliminaries ended,

the Kusagakure jōnin left.

As Yakushi Kabuto departed, he gave Su Yu a reassuring look.

Su Yu knew everything was going according to plan.

There was a month left until the final round.

When it began, the major events would soon follow.

Of course, Su Yu hadn't forgotten that an unlucky Konoha ninja would die during that time.

He glanced at Gekko Hayate, who was coughing, but had no intention of warning him.

"Su Yu, once Hinata wakes up, take her back to the Hyuga Clan," Kurenai Yuhi said softly as she approached.

"Sure. Hinata isn't seriously injured. I'll stay by her side and take care of her," Su Yu replied with a nod.

Kurenai Yuhi smiled and left with the other two members of the Reconnaissance Squad.

After they left the Heaven and Earth Tower,

Kiba Inuzuka brought up what had happened in the second stage.

They knew Su Yu had protected them in secret.

Kurenai Yuhi wasn't surprised when she heard about it.

"Hyuga Hiashi is very pleased with Su Yu's strength. It's only a matter of time before the two of them get together."

"Su Yu feels dangerous to me," Shino Aburame suddenly said.

The Aburame Clan were insect users, and their insects were more sensitive to danger than humans.

Whenever Shino Aburame's insects got near Su Yu, they became frightened. He found it strange.

"He's a member of Anbu, so..." Kurenai Yuhi reminded him.

"He's killed a lot of people?" Shino Aburame immediately caught on.

"That's just a guess. I'm not sure," Kurenai Yuhi said, shaking her head.

"Anbu members are definitely different from ordinary ninja. Su Yu won't hurt us, Shino. Don't overthink it," Kiba Inuzuka said with a smile.

Shino Aburame nodded.

By the time Su Yu brought Hinata Hyuga home, the sun was already setting.

Hyuga Hiashi had heard about the preliminaries. Knowing Hinata Hyuga was all right, he felt relieved.

"Su Yu, it's getting late. Why don't you stay for dinner?" Hyuga Hiashi glanced at the setting sun outside.

"Actually, I'm a little hungry," Su Yu said. He knew Hyuga Hiashi was giving him an opportunity, so he didn't refuse.

When dinner began,

Hanabi Hyuga and Hinata Hyuga both joined them.

Su Yu sat across from Hyuga Hiashi.

Hinata Hyuga saw where he was sitting and froze for a moment.

Hanabi Hyuga frowned and sat beside Hyuga Hiashi.

Su Yu smiled at Hinata Hyuga.

"Hinata, sit next to Su Yu," Hyuga Hiashi said.

Hinata Hyuga blushed and sat down.

Taking the opportunity, Su Yu took her hand.

Hinata Hyuga lowered her head, her face bright red.

Seeing this, Hanabi Hyuga kept giving Su Yu a hostile look.