Hinata, Use the Byakugan

"It's Naruto Uzumaki!" Kabuto Yakushi hid nearby and watched, thinking, Why was Naruto here? Where was Sasuke? They should have been together.

Gaara advanced step by step, his entire body radiating killing intent, making Shino, Kiba Inuzuka, and Hinata extremely tense.

Gaara's teammate Temari hurriedly tried to persuade them. "If you have the Heaven Scroll, hand it over now, and I'll let you go."

"No." Gaara said with a grim face, "You all have to die!" Clearly, Gaara did not agree with Temari's proposal.

Looks like I'll have to make a move. Kabuto Yakushi thought, I need to earn Naruto's trust before I can find Sasuke.

"Want the Heaven Scroll?" Naruto gripped a steel wire in his hand. "Then come and try."

Gaara noticed the wire in Naruto's hand. His gaze swept around until he discovered that it was connected to the Earth Scroll.

"What! Could Naruto be trying to..." Kabuto Yakushi, hidden in the bushes, showed a look of shock.

"What are you trying to do?" Gaara looked at the Earth Scroll only a few steps away from him. The wire in Naruto's hand was connected to it, and it seemed that as soon as Naruto pulled the wire, the Earth Scroll would unfurl.

"That!" Kankuro remembered. That Earth Scroll had belonged to Genin from the Hidden Waterfall Village. After Gaara slaughtered them all, Kankuro had found the Earth Scroll amid a pile of bloodstained sand.

But Gaara's team had already obtained an Earth Scroll. They only lacked a Heaven Scroll, so Kankuro had casually thrown the Earth Scroll away like trash.

"Looks like Naruto has won." Kabuto Yakushi, hidden in the bushes, analyzed, "The Heaven Scrolls and Earth Scrolls distributed by the Konoha examiners are actually covered in hypnotic genjutsu. Once opened, the genjutsu will make everyone present fall unconscious until the exam ends."

"But why did Naruto know that? This is his first time taking the Chunin Ninja Exams. He shouldn't know."

At that moment, Gaara had doubts. It was his first time taking the Chunin Ninja Exams, and he had no idea what would happen after the Earth Scroll was opened. Yet, seeing Naruto's confident expression, he truly did not dare act rashly.

"Hmph, bluffing." Gaara said calmly, "You think one scroll can keep you alive?"

"If you've got the guts, come try." Naruto threatened, "The moment I pull this wire, the Earth Scroll will unfold. You're closest to it, so you'll be blown to pieces."

"..." Kabuto Yakushi, hidden in the bushes, smiled. From Naruto's words, he realized Naruto did not know what was inside the Earth Scroll either. However, Naruto was good at using unknown factors to intimidate his opponents.

"Naruto has some skill. He doesn't know what the Earth Scroll contains, but he knows they don't either, so he's using that to frighten them." Kabuto Yakushi smiled. "Looks like I need to update my information on Naruto. I always thought he was reckless, but he's actually quite cunning."

Naruto secretly glanced toward Kabuto Yakushi's hiding place. He had known all along that Kabuto Yakushi was nearby and watching from the shadows.

Naruto thought, The Heaven Scrolls and Earth Scrolls Anko Mitarashi gave out are actually genjutsu containing hypnosis. Once opened, they'll make people unconscious. But I can't say that, or Kabuto Yakushi will suspect me.

Naruto was secretly competing with Kabuto Yakushi. Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, who knew nothing of it, also changed expressions.

Kankuro hurriedly said, "How do you know the Earth Scroll will explode when it opens? You're definitely talking nonsense!"

"I already said it. This is Konoha, and I'm Konoha's future Hokage. There's nothing about Konoha that I don't know." Naruto continued, "On Konoha's home turf, going against me is incredibly unwise. If you turn around and leave, I can spare you."

Hinata thought, Ha—Naruto is indeed so powerful.

Kiba Inuzuka broke out in a cold sweat and said quietly, "Naruto, it's one thing to say that at the Ninja Academy, but how could you possibly scare them in a situation like this?"

"An explosion?" Gaara said confidently, "Even if the Earth Scroll really does explode, so what?"

In truth, the massive gourd on Gaara's back contained special sand. This sand was not controlled by Gaara's will. Whenever Gaara was in danger, it would automatically protect him, making it an absolute defense.

Just as Gaara was about to act, Kankuro shouted, "Gaara! Stop!"

Kankuro had already noticed something strange. These Heaven Scrolls and Earth Scrolls had all been distributed by Konoha's examiners. There had to be a punishment for opening one carelessly, but what would that punishment be? Could it really just be an ordinary explosion? An ordinary explosion could not even harm a hair on Gaara's head.

"We're leaving," Kankuro said. "Gaara, Temari, let's go."

Gaara became furious and said viciously, "Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to order me around? If you dare stop me, I'll kill you too."

"Tch." Kankuro was deeply dissatisfied, thinking, I hate this brat. Just because he has some strength, he never listens to anyone... He can't understand what I really mean either...

At that moment, Kankuro was slowly approaching the Earth Scroll.

Naruto was shocked. Kankuro was saying all the right things, but he was actually getting closer and closer to the Earth Scroll. Did he have some ulterior motive?

"Hinata, use the Byakugan!" Naruto shouted.

Understanding immediately, Hinata gave a soft cry. "Byakugan!" She activated the Byakugan. Veins bulged around her eyes as its vision swept across the entire area. She saw chakra pathways on everyone's body—except Kankuro, who had no chakra pathways at all.

The Byakugan was the Hyuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai. Hinata had inherited it as well. The Byakugan could see through the human body to observe the chakra pathways through which chakra flowed, as well as the chakra points that released chakra.

"That person is strange." Hinata hurriedly said, "He has no chakra pathways."

"Seeking death! You dare play tricks in front of me!" Naruto flew into a rage. After hearing Hinata's words, he immediately understood that the Kankuro before them was merely a wooden puppet. Yet this wooden puppet looked exactly like a real person and could not be distinguished by the naked eye. Without Hinata's Byakugan, ordinary people truly would not have been able to tell.

Kankuro, hidden in the shadows, was controlling the puppet. He did not actually know what would happen once the Earth Scroll opened, but there was no harm in being cautious.

Kankuro had intended to pretend to surrender in order to deceive Naruto and the others, then control the puppet into approaching the Earth Scroll and use it to eliminate this unknown threat.

But Kankuro's hidden scheme had already been seen through by Naruto. Without hesitation, Naruto yanked the steel wire in his hand. As the wire was pulled, the Earth Scroll attached to its other end was torn open as well. And just like that, the Earth Scroll unfurled.