Variable! Unexpected Ninja

"What is actually wrong?"

Neji took a step forward, wanting to see what kind of troubles were weighing so heavily on this girl of peerless beauty.

"Don't come over!"

Ino extended both hands to block him; at this moment, it seemed as if she were shielding her eyes from the light before her.

It was so dreamlike, so beautiful.

The "trash" ninja of legend had so easily neutralized the attack she had painstakingly learned, and behind that massive concealment, there seemed to be something even more profound!

Ino's heart stirred quietly!

"Uh."

Neji's mouth twitched, and he didn't move again.

How could he know just how wildly Ino's heart was beating right now?

And how could he know that his seemingly roguish actions and perfectly measured combat had already completely touched the heart of this young girl?

"I will become stronger. Once I'm stronger, I will definitely come to challenge you."

Ino stood up, pretending that she was merely drawn by the allure of power.

Neji finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Mm, I'll be waiting for you."

Naturally, he didn't want his life of dashing heroism, destined to become the Hokage, to be marred by a girl left with a lifelong trauma because of him.

Returning to the grass, Tenten had already defeated Choji and was sparring with Shikamaru.

And Shikamaru was anxious to concede.

"Isn't that enough? I'm exhausted!"

Shikamaru stood upside down on the top of a tree, while Tenten was not far away below, holding a scroll and full of fighting spirit.

Asuma chuckled derisively: "Don't think about running away. If you really didn't want to train, why did you accept the challenge of the Chunin Exams in the first place?"

"A ninja must work hard!"

Tenten recalled every determined silhouette of Neji and naturally couldn't accept a man being so evasive. She pulled open her scroll and formed hand seals!

"Taste this!"

"Manipulated Tools: Heaven Sky Chain!"

Clack-clack-clack-clack-clack-clack!

A powerful mechanical chain was summoned from the scroll, extending rapidly section by section toward Shikamaru.

Shikamaru was startled, his eyes widening: "Again!?"

"Once you're caught by this, you won't be able to escape!" Tenten gritted her teeth, forming seals with even greater effort.

Clack-clack!

As Shikamaru leaped away, the mechanical chain automatically tracked him with fierce speed.

"It can even turn?"

Just as Shikamaru landed, the chain pursued him, and he immediately jumped to the side.

"I give up! I give up!"

"Not a chance." Tenten controlled the Heaven Sky Chain, continuing to chase after Shikamaru.

Shikamaru jumped back and forth, realizing it was truly endless. He leaped into a dead end and, utilizing a few seconds of respite, pulled out a kunai.

"Damn it..." He glanced at Tenten's position with a troubled heart and threw it at an angle.

Whoosh!

Tenten merely tilted her head, her movements swift and her gaze precise.

"Naive."

No sooner had he spoken than he was struck by a sound.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...

"An Explosive Tag?"

Tenten only then realized that a lit Explosive Tag was tied to the kunai.

She immediately grabbed the chain and leaped away rapidly.

Puff!

But the Explosive Tag was a dud, merely billowing out thick clouds of dust and smoke.

"Tch, just a scare tactic?" Tenten exhaled in disdain. Suddenly, Shikamaru's figure appeared along with his voice.

"This should be the end, right? Shadow Possession Jutsu—success!"

As the thick fog gradually dissipated, Shikamaru was only three or four meters away, his pitch-black shadow stretching across the ground to connect with the soles of Tenten's feet.

"At such a close distance..."

Tenten swallowed hard.

In the previous battle, Tenten's keen insight had left Shikamaru with no way to strike, leading to his failure several times over.

Once Tenten seized control of the battlefield, Shikamaru had no further opportunities to break through.

"Because the distance is short, the speed of the technique is also faster, is it?"

Tenten's entire body was restrained, left completely at the mercy of Shikamaru's control.

Such a powerful binding naturally decided the outcome of the match.

"That was a truly brilliant battle; Tenten is very strong as well." Asuma walked over, clapping his hands.

"Next, let me personally test you all!"

"Huh?"

Asuma's words took everyone by surprise.

In the gloomy underground.

"Hiss"...

The sound of venomous snakes slithered through the air, chilling to the bone.

Footsteps slowly began to echo.

"Squeak!"

A mouse darted past rapidly, its movements extremely swift.

The person walking was not in a hurry, yet every step was methodical, as if he were very familiar with the deep, winding paths beneath the earth.

He knew them like the back of his hand.

In the dark passage, a torch provided a great deal of light.

However, for such a familiar path, he did not seem to need much vision; the young man walking possessed extremely keen insight.

Under the glow of the fire, white hair and glasses were revealed.

Kabuto Yakushi.

"Squeak!"

The mouse seemed to be following Kabuto's pace; Kabuto paused for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curled up.

"Meow~"

A frail little kitten jumped out, its size only about twice that of the mouse.

Kabuto froze and looked back.

He hesitantly watched the kitten crouching behind his heels; it was a black cat, seemingly having chased the mouse.

He stared at the kitten for a long time, as if contemplating something.

Then, he crouched down.

He reached out his hand to stroke the kitten, and the kitten rubbed against his palm with great affection.

"Don't follow me anymore, okay?"

With that, he stood up and continued walking forward. The cat sat quietly in place, watching his back as he moved further and further away.

In the room further inside, the eerie darkness seemed endless.

The burning candle flame flickered occasionally.

"Knock, knock, knock"...

"Is that you, Kabuto? Come in."

The low, hoarse voice was well-suited to this strange atmosphere.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Kabuto's face remained calm and indifferent.

"How is the plan going this time?" Orochimaru sat in a chair, looking at Kabuto with a smile.

Kabuto walked in, leaving the door open, and hung the torch on the wall.

"No problems; everything is proceeding. I successfully let Sasuke and his group pass the Chunin Exams. I took care of many examinees inside the Forest of Death, but... there is a variable."

"A variable? That Anbu boy?"

Orochimaru frowned slightly, his mouth twitching as his smile gradually faded.

"Yes. Not just in the Forest of Death; during the negotiations with the Sand Ninja, we were discovered by people from Konoha. That boy is truly an unexpected ninja! Fortunately, you were there to take care of Hayate Gekko, but that Anbu boy..."

"Do not worry."

Orochimaru pondered for a moment, then revealed a gloating smile.

His eyes were filled with cunning fanaticism.

"Hyuga Neji, I already know his name."

"Hyuga Neji?"

Kabuto's eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing that name.

"Yes. I never expected the Hyuga Clan to still harbor such a powerful bloodline. The lineage of Hyuga Tenin, which I once pursued so desperately, has finally been found. However, now that I have Sasuke-kun, that bloodline seems less important." Orochimaru spoke with a smile, his eyes seemingly drifting through memories from many years ago.

"The body of the Uchiha Clan is the most compatible with you, Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto bowed in submission.

Orochimaru let out two cold snorts: "Indeed, but we must still be extremely careful. The boy from the Hyuga family seems to be growing even faster than Sasuke-kun! When the time comes, we must pay close attention to him..."

"Understood!" Kabuto replied.

"Squeak, squeak..."

The sound of the mouse came to an abrupt halt, replaced by the slithering sound of a snake crawling across the ground.

On the floor lay a pool of blood and a severed tail; the snake crawled over, a small, distinct bulge visible in its belly.