When Neji mocked Hinata, Naruto had seen enough. He rolled up his sleeves and was ready to confront Neji head-on.
But Hinata stopped him. She took a deep breath, her eyes filled with determination as she faced Neji. "Neji, I'm… not the same person I used to be. I don't understand fate, but now I know that through hard work, I can change things!"
Neji sneered. "Do whatever you want. I already warned you; whether you accept it or not is your choice."
Without another word, Neji walked past Hinata and left the tower.
Naruto fumed, "What kind of guy is he? He makes absolutely no sense! Hinata, one month from now, you've got to crush him completely!"
Hinata replied confidently, "I'll do my best to win this match!"
Back in Konoha, Naruto and Sasuke went first to where Pakura and Hikaku Uchiha were, hoping to find Shindai, but he wasn't there.
So Naruto and Sasuke guessed Shindai must be at the Scientific Research Division and headed straight there.
Inside the research lab of the Scientific Research Division,
Shindai sat on a chair with one leg crossed over the other, looking at Hinata in surprise. "You want to defeat Neji by relying solely on your own strength without using Ninja-Ware?"
Hinata's face filled with determination. "Yes! I want to prove to them that I'm not some useless failure, nor the timid girl I used to be!"
Shindai lit a cigarette, frowning slightly. "Not trying to discourage you, but the gap between you and Neji is huge. Without scientific ninja tools, it will be very difficult for you to beat him."
Hinata replied earnestly, "I understand, teacher. Neji has always been called a genius, and he works incredibly hard. I know I'm not smart, and I also know that just training hard for this short period of time won't be enough to beat Neji. Still, I want to try. Even if I end up failing, I can accept that result."
Shindai blew out a puff of smoke and smirked. "You've really grown up. Alright then, this month I'll personally give you special training along with Pakura and Hikaku to increase your chances of winning. Of course, this training won't be easy. You have to endure it and never give up halfway."
"I'm fully prepared!" Hinata declared energetically.
Just as she finished speaking, the lab door suddenly burst open.
Standing at the doorway stood Naruto and Sasuke, both furious.
"Shindai, you jerk!" Naruto shouted. "Explain yourself! Why did you disguise yourself as other ninjas and attack us? That's going too far! And all those underhanded moves too!"
Shindai replied mockingly, "Oooh, here to accuse me huh? Well, you two aren't qualified enough to do that. In fact, you should be the ones kneeling before me!"
"Make me bow to you?!" Naruto snapped. "I'm taking you down today!"
At that moment, an enraged and impulsive Sasuke, mind burning with anger, immediately lunged toward Shindai.
Shindai pressed a button on the armrest of his chair. Eight chains made from Iron Sand Body materialized and bound Naruto's and Sasuke's hands and feet, magnetically attaching them to the chair with no chance of escape.
Shindai grinned mockingly at himself: "Wanna fight me head-on? Come on then, I'll just sit here without moving. Hit me if you can?"
Naruto and Sasuke were so enraged their faces turned pale.
Hinata whispered softly: "Um... Teacher, I guess I also want to know if there's a deeper reason behind this, isn't there?"
Shindai flicked some ash off his cigarette before speaking: "Since Hinata has questions, I'll answer. Don't you remember what happened on the bridge in the Land of Waves? Naruto was enveloped in red [Tailed Beast Chakra] back then."
Hinata nodded: "I remember that."
Shindai explained: "One of my purposes for going there this time was to collect data about that power within Naruto's body. Naruto, you yourself know you're a jinchuriki, carrying a terrifying creature inside you. The seal containing it within your body currently has cracks forming. I need this data to prevent you from [losing control] due to this power.
Back in the Forest of Death, you must have felt how that power affected your mind. Although you didn't confuse enemies with allies, you fought purely on primal instinct."
Naruto looked somewhat confused by this explanation, but Sasuke seemed thoughtful.
Sasuke agreed: "He's right. You did go into [lost control] back then—fighting purely on primal instinct."
Sasuke glared at Shindai: "If your goal was just Naruto, why drag Sakura and me into this too?"
Shindai shook his finger disapprovingly: "You two were necessary because for Naruto to use that power, he needs anger to resonate with it. Therefore, I needed sources of anger—which is where you and Sakura come in as his rage triggers.
Also, as I just said, collecting Naruto's physical data was only one of my objectives. My other purpose was giving you a cheat ability. Let's face it, you're kind of petty. Since Naruto naturally comes with his own cheat ability—who knows when you might realize you can't beat him and start developing jealousy."
Sasuke protested indignantly: "How could I possibly be jealous of Naruto! Stop making things up!"
Shindai replied with a strange expression: "Wasn't there that look of frustration you had when you found out Naruto defeated Haku? Or was that just my imagination?"
Naruto exclaimed excitedly: "Oh? Were you secretly jealous of me all along? It's okay though. Keep working hard and someday you'll surpass me for sure!"
Sasuke's face turned crimson red: "Can't you guys understand normal speech? I'm NOT jealous of you!"
"Enough already. I don't have time to watch you two flirt." Shindai interrupted them and began explaining: "The snake that bit you injected a [Cursed Seal] into your body. This [Cursed Seal] is the latest [Ability] developed by Orochimaru-sama through his experiments."
The ninja world has three sacred ancestral sites: Mount Myoboku, Ryuchi Cave, and Shikkotsu Forest. One can learn a secret jutsu known as Sage Mode there, which significantly boosts one's power. Both Jiraiya-sama and Minato Namikaze-dono have perfected Sage Mode.
This Cursed Seal, on the other hand, was created by Orochimaru-sama through his research on snakes infused with Sage Chakra at Ryuchi Cave. Through this Cursed Seal, one can achieve Sage Transformation. In other words, if you, Sasuke, master this Cursed Seal, it will allow you to undergo Sage Transformation.
However, Sage Mode and Sage Transformation aren't exactly the same thing. Sage Transformation is actually a weaker variant of Sage Mode. To fully attain true Sage Mode, one must still travel to one of the sacred ancestral sites to learn it.
Actually, I think Orochimaru-sama would be a good fit for you. I believe you, Sasuke, should go find Orochimaru-sama and try to learn from him—perhaps even become his disciple.
A quiet thrill stirred deep inside Sasuke. He hadn't expected that Shindai was genuinely giving him an advantage—and a significant one at that. After all, both Jiraiya and Minato Namikaze had mastered Sage Mode, and the two were renowned masters within the ninja world.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ **4 bonus chapters** this weekend if I get kind comments.
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>