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Leaning on a cane, Neji Hyuga staggered step by step towards them. On his expressionless face, a hint of unwillingness lingered. He gritted his teeth and said, "Lady Hinata... Although I am not your match now, I will definitely defeat you in the future! The branch family will never have wastes!" After uttering these words, Neji Hyuga limped away. However, his injuries would likely take at least ten days to half a month to fully recover to peak condition.
To this... Hinata could only offer a bitter smile, as she didn't know what to say. If she were to offer comfort, would it be seen as mockery? If she were to say she awaited his challenge, would it be perceived as being too arrogant? So Hinata decided to remain silent. Her introverted nature didn't make her good at striking up conversations. Throughout her life, Hinata's longest conversations were with Liu Chen and Hanabi—one a Guardian Spirit/teacher, the other her sister. Although her sister Hanabi had once defeated her, the two sisters had a very good relationship, almost sleeping in the same bed.
Upon returning to the classroom... Hinata felt countless gazes on her, making her quickly lower her head. She then quietly walked to her seat and slowly sat down. Although most of her classmates' gazes were benevolent, or filled with admiration and astonishment, Hinata still felt a sense of shyness. Liu Chen, in her mindscape, could only smile helplessly at this. After all, Hinata was still a child. Even if she defeated Neji Hyuga, she was still a little girl. It would be strange for a normal little girl not to be shy when being watched by so many people! So Hinata's reaction, in Liu Chen's eyes... was a very normal, perfectly normal reaction.
"Is that our class's top genius?! I heard she defeated Neji Hyuga a few days ago!"
"You mean Neji Hyuga from fifth grade?!"
"Hiss... that Neji Hyuga, even in fifth grade, was already on par with the top students in sixth grade, a genius who had just entered the Genin level!"
"So what? He still got defeated, and I heard he's in the hospital."
"I saw him going to school with a cane this morning..."
"That's incredible! Couldn't Hinata become a ninja of Iruka Sensei's caliber?!"
"I feel she might even be stronger than Iruka Sensei."
"Iruka Sensei is already a Chunin. Stronger than him would mean a Jonin, right? Jonin are quite rare in Konoha Village!"
"..." Many whispers and discussions filled the classroom. Although their voices weren't loud, the sheer number of people talking made the entire classroom noisy. Sasuke Uchiha's gaze was very complex. He looked at Hinata, who was five or six meters away from him, then silently withdrew his complex gaze. Clenching his fists, he murmured, "She can already defeat Neji Hyuga from fifth grade? Although I haven't fought that Byakugan guy, I can tell he's a formidable opponent. If I were to fight him, it's really hard to say who would win or lose." "Yet, such a formidable opponent was defeated by Hinata!" "...Has she actually gotten stronger again?!" "This is too monstrous..." Even the proud Sasuke Uchiha, such a cool and aloof individual, used the word "monster" to describe Hinata. Of course, "monster" here was not derogatory, but simply reflected his belief that Hinata's talent was no different from a monster's. Sasuke Uchiha considered himself a very talented ninja. But now, it seemed there were always people better than him, always someone stronger. It wasn't that he was too much of a genius, but that true geniuses were simply low-key. Just like Hinata Hyuga. She was silent until she surprised everyone.
Chunin Iruka Sensei arrived as scheduled, holding a stack of textbooks. The moment he entered, the previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent. Scanning the fully attended classroom, Iruka began, "Today, we will review the Three-Body Technique and test your Chakra reserves."
Hinata: "..." Upon hearing Iruka's words, she knew she was doomed today. Because she hadn't specifically trained to extract Chakra from her cells. Although with her current physical fitness, extracting Chakra would be very simple, she usually didn't have the time. This meant Hinata's current Chakra reserves were only slightly more than three months ago. And she hadn't practiced the Three-Body Technique in over three months either. Her skill level was still at where it was three months ago. She might barely be a little better than Naruto... that's all.
As expected, in the subsequent test, the results astonished everyone. Hinata Hyuga, who had consistently been ranked first in the class, surprisingly placed third from last, leaving everyone bewildered. Even Sasuke Uchiha, who already believed he would still be ranked second today, looked somewhat bewildered as he now found himself in first place. He stared at Hinata Hyuga in utter astonishment. He felt that something was not quite right.
"How could her Three-Body Technique and Chakra reserves be so weak?!" Sasuke Uchiha murmured, "That shouldn't be possible!" Suddenly recalling Hinata Hyuga's usual "low-key" demeanor, Sasuke Uchiha immediately realized, murmuring, "Perhaps it's because she's hiding her abilities again? Why would she hide her strength? Is it because..." "Because if you hide your strength, then the enemy won't be able to gather accurate intelligence." "Taking a favorable position in battle, is that it?!" Sasuke Uchiha, lost in his imaginative deductions, felt his guess was very plausible. Little did he know that he was actually overthinking it... Hinata had never hidden her strength. Firstly, there was absolutely no need to. Secondly, there was nothing to hide. With Liu Chen by her side, there was no problem with her revealing her full strength. And Hinata genuinely didn't know the Three-Body Technique...