In the president's office.
Shinji sat in En Oyashiro's presidential seat, calmly observing the girl before him.
Undoubtedly, this petite girl was En Oyashiro's daughter, Chino, and the last surviving member of the Chinoike Clan besides En Oyashiro himself!
Chino was visibly nervous, her gaze cautiously studying Shinji in front of her.
En Oyashiro stood behind Chino, a faint smile still lingering on his lips, as if he didn't mind his own daughter being scrutinized by Shinji in this manner.
After a moment, Shinji said to En Oyashiro, "I'm taking her with me!"
"To be chosen by you is her fortune!"
To Shinji's surprise, En Oyashiro didn't even ask for a reason and readily agreed.
Shinji gave En Oyashiro a deep look but said nothing more, leading Chino out of the Wedge Real Estate Corporation's headquarters.
Chino followed Shinji silently, showing no resistance.
Shinji asked, "Don't you have anything you want to ask?"
Chino murmured softly, "As long as I can leave, I don't care who I follow!"
"Heh."
Shinji let out a light chuckle and said no more.
Leading Chino, Shinji didn't linger in the Land of Hot Springs but headed straight back to the Land of Fire. Due to accommodating Chino's pace, the return journey took a few extra days.
Upon returning to the Land of Fire, Shinji settled Chino in a hideout not far from his secret laboratory.
After showing Chino the living conditions of the hideout, Shinji said, "You'll live here from now on!"
At this point, Chino finally couldn't hold back and asked, "What do you want with me by bringing me here?"
Shinji didn't answer directly but instead asked, "Do you want to become stronger?"
"I do!"
Chino answered without hesitation.
As a tool forced to undergo training, Chino constantly dreamed of becoming strong enough one day to uproot the Wedge Real Estate Corporation, which treated her and the other children like beasts.
"I brought you here to make you stronger!"
As Shinji spoke, he took out a dose of "Blue Higanbana No. 1."
Chino looked at the syringe containing "Blue Higanbana No. 1" and shrank back, as if recalling some unpleasant memories.
En Oyashiro had collected so many children with Bloodline Limits, and it was clear he had conducted related human experiments in secret.
Thus, blood draws and drug injections were not unfamiliar to Chino.
However, human experiments in the shinobi world generally lacked any sense of humanitarianism, so casualties were inevitable. Chino had witnessed many of her companions die inexplicably after being injected with drugs.
This left a deep scar on her young mind, so now, just seeing a syringe made her body tremble involuntarily.
Noticing Chino's intense reaction, Shinji temporarily set the drug aside and explained the effects and side effects of "Blue Higanbana No. 1" in detail.
Chino, half-believing, asked, "Will I die?"
"Die!?" Shinji chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No, you won't!"
"Blue Higanbana No. 1" had already passed two rounds of live animal testing and one human trial on Ryuzetsu, ensuring its safety. The only uncertainty was whether it might have other unknown side effects.
Chino thought for a moment, then extended her slender arm toward Shinji.
She knew this masked mysterious figure was someone even the devil-like president feared, so she understood she had no real choice.
Shinji injected "Blue Higanbana No. 1" into Chino's body, then connected her to monitoring equipment to observe her vital signs. After confirming that her body showed no abnormalities post-injection, he recorded the data while saying, "You are the last of the Chinoike Clan. Your bloodline harbors a powerful dojutsu Bloodline Limit, so don't waste this advantage, and don't let my drug go to waste!"
"Yes!"
Chino nodded, somewhat dazed.
After recording the data, Shinji stood to leave.
"Sir, where are you going?"
Seeing Shinji about to leave, Chino called out in a panic, feeling uneasy about being alone in such an unfamiliar place.
"I'll come back in a few days to check on you. There's an underground training ground nearby. If you want to train, go there."
After giving a few instructions, Shinji left without pause.
Having taken a trip to the Land of Hot Springs, the vacation before the final assessment was nearly over, so Shinji now needed to return to the village to face the assessment.
Hidden Leaf Village.
Huff, huff, huff.
Sasuke and Naruto stood face-to-face, panting heavily.
From the sidelines, Sakura hurriedly handed them towels and drinks, her face full of concern. "Sasuke, Naruto, you should take a break!"
"No time!"
Sasuke and Naruto spoke in unison.
Then, the two paused, exchanging smiles.
After a week of intense training, not only had their strength improved significantly, but their teamwork and bond had also grown noticeably.
"Take a break."
Sasuke took the towel from Sakura and wiped his sweat.
Naruto, meanwhile, gulped down his drink.
After resting for a bit, Naruto asked, "Sasuke, do you think we can take first place this time?"
Sakura immediately perked up her ears.
Sasuke pondered for a moment. "Shinji's team doesn't have much strength. Haku and Karin are pure dead weight. Neji's team is about the same, with teammates only slightly better than Shinji's. The real trouble is Yakumo and Kimimaro's team!"
Naruto declared, "Then I'll take on Yakumo!"
Sasuke shook his head. "You're no match for her. Only geniuses like me, Shinji, Kimimaro, or Neji stand a chance!"
Sakura quietly added, "Sasuke, I heard Shion's gotten stronger too."
"Shion?" Sasuke paused, then said, "Just a small fry, no need to worry!"
"Oh."
Sakura nodded lightly.
Sasuke continued, "You guys don't understand how terrifying 'Wood Release' is, so for tomorrow's assessment, you need to follow my lead!"
Having just been beaten by 'B's' Wood Release, Sasuke knew how powerless ordinary shinobi were against it.
"Got it!"
Naruto and Sakura nodded in unison.
At another training ground.
Yakumo and Shion were also drenched in sweat, sitting on the ground to rest.
Shion muttered, "The assessment's tomorrow, and I don't even know if Kimimaro's ready! It's weird—why isn't he training with us?"
Yakumo shook her head. "I don't know, but even without him, the two of us can still win!"
At the Hyuga clan's training ground.
Neji addressed Lee and Tenten before him. "That's enough for today. Rest well, and tomorrow, we face the assessment!"
"Got it!"
Lee and Tenten were brimming with fighting spirit.
After a week of intense training, they could clearly feel themselves growing stronger!