Hinata watched his laid-back antics, torn between annoyance and amusement. In the end, she simply mustered all her strength and dragged and shoved him into the bathroom.
After washing up, Toru Kujyo changed into his combat clothes. He walked over to the cabinet beside the bed and said to Hinata, "Hinata, bring me that red box."
Hinata fetched an exquisite red wooden box as requested. Toru Kujyo opened it, revealing a pair of specially made colored contact lenses close to his natural eye color. He slipped them on with practiced ease, and his Tenseigan, which seemed to hold a sea of stars, instantly became indistinguishable from ordinary eyes.
Hinata's heart tightened at the sight. She knew Toru-kun only deliberately concealed his ocular power when he was preparing to use that formidable power to manipulate attraction and repulsion.
"Toru-kun," she couldn't help asking worriedly, "will these Chunin Ninja Exams... be dangerous?"
Toru Kujyo turned and gently took her hand, his gaze warm yet firm. "It's just a precaution. If everything goes smoothly, it'll be easy."
He paused, his tone growing a little more solemn.
"If it doesn't, I'm afraid we're in for a fierce battle."
At 2:40 p.m., at Konoha's Training Ground 44, commonly known as the "Forest of Death."
This was the main venue for the second stage of the Chunin Ninja Exams. A tense yet excited atmosphere hung in the air, as though even the faint fluctuations of chakra could be smelled. Team 8's Toru Kujyo, Hinata Hyuga, and Shino Aburame arrived on time. The towering wire fence and enormous wooden gates around the training ground resembled a monster's gaping maw, proclaiming the dangers within. Toru Kujyo stood tall in his black combat clothes, his gaze calm. Hinata followed quietly at his side. Though her Byakugan was inactive, she