Embers of Pride and Sparks in the Dark Corners

At first, Sasuke truly resembled a rag doll. The Akado Yoroi grabbed his wrist, Chakra rapidly draining from his pressure points, leaving him with only a slit in darkness. The Snake Mark on the back of his neck burned intensely under the extreme pressure, the chilling Chakra attempting to invade his meridians—

But in the next second, the Yang Release Mark left by Naruto on Sasuke's shoulder suddenly lit up with a faint golden light, and the supremely Yang and powerful life energy silently surged out, forcefully suppressing the sinister fluctuations.

The two extreme forces completed their first silent struggle within Sasuke's body, lasting no more than two seconds.

Sasuke groaned, but a glint of clarity flashed in his eyes.

Instead of relying on the warmth of the Yang Release, he used the force of being pushed away to push off the ground with both feet, forcibly twisting his body in mid-air into an arc that defied gravity. His Sharingan, in its Three-Tomoe Sharingan state, spun wildly, capturing every flaw in Chakra Akado Yoroi's chakra absorption points.

No unnecessary movements, no fancy Ninjutsu, just the instant his Sharingan through the opponent's weakness—

His right leg came crashing down like a battle axe!

"Lion Combo!!"

A dull thud resounded Akado Yoroi slammed into the concrete like a cannonball, instantly losing consciousness.

The entire room fell silent.

Sasuke, panting heavily, clutched the back of his neck and looked up at Naruto in the stands. His eyes resembled those of a lone wolf guarding its prey—not waiting for praise, but declaring with an almost obsessive gaze: I won this battle myself.

Naruto put his hands in his pockets, a faint smile playing on his lips, and uttered two words.

"Good."

Sasuke's tense shoulders finally relaxed a little, a faint snort curled at the corner of his mouth, and he turned and left.

This kid, at least he's got some of the Uchiha spirit.

The newly built Uzumaki Estate within Konoha.

A gentle breeze swept through the empty courtyard, stirring up a few fallen leaves.

Bai, dressed in clean loungewear, stood under the corridor, quietly observing each room.

Her eyes were as gentle as water.

This is the yard they bought with the black card Naruto gave them; it's their future home.

She walked to the master bedroom, reached out and stroked the wooden door frame, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"Naruto... which one will you like when you come back?"

She was once just a nameless, emotionless killing machine, but now, her chest is filled with a warmth called "anticipation."

She didn't care how fierce the Chunin Ninja Exams were outside; all she knew was that no matter where Naruto was, this door would always be open for him.

In the shadows deep within the corridor, Temari gripped her wrist tightly, which was aching from being pinched, and bit her lower lip.

That bastard... we absolutely can't let this go.

Temari is the princess of Hidden Sand, not a plaything he can manipulate at will.

Next time, she'll definitely make him take him seriously.

But beneath that resentment, a strange stirring within her, which she herself was unwilling to acknowledge, was quietly spreading along her heart.

Adjusting her breathing, Temari straightened her collar, pushed open the door to the corridor, and walked back to the stands.

As soon as he sat down, Kankuro leaned over and asked, "Where have you been? Didn't you see Sasuke's fight just now...?"

Temari gave him a cold look. "Shut up."

On the other side, Naruto returned to his seat along the corridor.

As soon as I sat down, that bright red thing timidly moved closer to my feet.

Karin buried her face in her knees, revealing only her bloodshot eyes, her hands gripping his clothes tightly.

From the perspective of this homeless orphan girl, this boy of her own kind was like a domineering, blazing sun, and she felt that she didn't even have the right to look him in the eye.

Naruto looked down at the red-haired girl who was so nervous she was about to faint.

He didn't speak, but simply stretched out his large palm and roughly yet warmly pressed it onto Karin's head, ruffling her red hair.

"Stay put and watch the show."

Karin trembled, tears welling up instantly. She bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying out, and just nodded frantically.

Inside the tower, the large electronic screen emitted a piercing buzz, and names scrolled rapidly before finally freezing.

[Neji Hyuga VS Hinata Hyuga]

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

The eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan's Main Family and a genius from the branch family unexpectedly clashed in the preliminary rounds.

In the stands, Hyuga Hiashi leaned against a stone pillar, arms crossed, his stern face showing no emotion, but his slightly clenched cuffs betrayed the complexity of his inner thoughts.

For him, this was nothing more than a ceremony to confirm the authority of the Main Family.

In the center of the arena, Neji slowly turned around, the veins around his Byakugan bulging, his eyes burning with a long-suppressed resentment.

He looked at the timid, head-down eldest daughter of the Main Family across from him, and a cruel sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"The embers of pride are, in the end, just embers."

Neji murmured softly.

Hinata looked up.

Her hands were trembling slightly, but the image of that blond boy declaring domineeringly flashed through her mind—"You are my woman, Naruto Uzumaki's woman."

In order to stand beside him and not be looked down upon, Hinata a deep breath and assumed the starting stance of Gentle Fist.

Her gaze was more resolute than ever before.

"Start!"

With a command from Gekko Hayate.

Neji showed no mercy, instantly closing in on his opponent.

His Gentle Fist were precise and fierce, carrying the ruthlessness unique to geniuses from different families.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull thuds of impact continued to ring out.

Hinata's defense was full of flaws against Neji.

After a few moves, Neji landed a powerful palm strike on Hinata's shoulder, his Chakra rushing to her pressure points.

Hinata let out a muffled groan as she was sent flying backward, crashing heavily to the ground, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth.

"This is the eldest daughter of the Main Family?"

Neji approached step by step, looking down at the struggling Hinata. "You can't even stand up straight. A weakling like you doesn't deserve to be a ninja."

In the stands, Naruto leaned back lazily in his chair, tapping his thigh absently with his fingers.

He remained silent, his azure eyes deep and cold.

He was watching, seeing if Hinata was truly worthy of being the woman beside him Naruto Uzumaki, on his throne.

Hinata gritted her teeth, dug her fingers into the concrete, and stood up unsteadily.

She didn't look at Naruto, but the stubbornness of the Uzumaki Clan matriarch was supporting her swaying body.

"I... can still..." Hinata gasped for breath, assuming the starting stance once more.

While everyone's attention was drawn to this internal battle within the Hyuga Clan, in a dark corner, a few sparks were quietly igniting, unnoticed by anyone.

On one side of the stands, Sasuke Uchiha intently at the battle in the arena, his Three-Tomoe Sharingan spinning wildly.

He tried to learn the power generation techniques of Gentle Fist by observing Neji's Chakra flow, but at that moment, the skin on the back of his neck—the "Snake Mark" that Orochimaru had implanted in the Forest of Death— burned intensely like a venomous snake awakening.

The moment that chilling Chakra surfaced, the Yang Release Mark that Naruto had placed on Sasuke's shoulder suddenly unleashed its power.

The extremely yang and vigorous life energy clashed violently with the yin and evil Snake Seal in Sasuke's meridians!

Sasuke groaned, half-kneeling on the ground, veins bulging on his forehead.

But he didn't cry for help. He bit his lip tightly, a glimmer of crazed clarity flashing in his eyes—he was experiencing the clash between these two extreme forces, trying to extract their principles for his own use.

"As long as I can become stronger..." Sasuke clenched his fists tightly, forcibly suppressing the excruciating pain.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke, who was putting on a brave face, out of the corner of his eye, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

Did Orochimaru, that cunning old fox, leave behind a backup plan?

That's interesting.

But he didn't make a fuss.

In the center of the arena, Neji looked at Hinata, who had stood up again, and the resentment in his eyes grew even stronger.

He couldn't understand why such a good-for-nothing could possess the bloodline of the Main Family, while he, with his extraordinary talent, was destined to be Caged Bird, destined to be a servant for life.

"Enough!"

Neji took a sudden step forward, his Chakra surging, and the sharp Chakra stream from his palm sliced through the air.

Naruto leaned back in his chair, coldly observing the scene, his fingers pausing slightly.

He knew it was time to wrap this up.