Even people who seem cold-hearted have an unshakable will deep inside.
They'd sacrifice their own interests whether it's for someone or something.
"You know, pretending to be indifferent sounds cool. It's like watching the world coldly, thinking you're walking alone through a winter storm. But in reality, that's just avoidance. Temari, this time I'll forgive you on Tenten's behalf. Still, I hope you'll apologize to her personally afterward."
"You… you…"
Temari looked ready to say something harsh, trying to make this guy change his mind.
Yet surprisingly, she who always spoke freely now found herself completely at a loss for words.
What kind of guy is this boy exactly?
Temari couldn't help but feel intense curiosity toward this boy named Shiki Uzumaki.
Still, Shiki never stopped. Carrying Tenten, he walked away like a knight.
Wearing only a simple white shirt, he looked like a typical neighborhood boy.
"Interesting. So you're Shiki Uzumaki. If I get the chance, I'd actually like to fight you," Temari smirked slightly as she turned and headed toward her own spectator seats.
"Though… I probably wouldn't stand a chance against you. If there truly is a fated enemy, then maybe only someone who fights with that kind of conviction…"
Thinking this, Temari lifted her head slightly. Her light brown hair gently swayed—somehow, within this vast indoor space, a soft breeze had slipped in through some window.
In that breeze, Temari met Gaara's gaze—for once, without looking away.
Chapter 156: Hinata's Resolve
"Alright then, the next match will now begin."
As Ryuunosuke's voice rang out, everyone realized the previous incident had ended.
"I have to admit, no matter where he is, my brother always steals the spotlight."
Yuuma let out an emotional sigh. Though her brother always seemed quiet and reserved at first glance, he inevitably became the center of attention in the end.
Might Guy watched as Shiki approached and flashed him a thumbs-up.
"Truly admirable! A man who charges fearlessly down the path of youth, with unmatched determination and a dashing smile!"
Everyone broke into cold sweat. Sure, saying Shiki has ironclad willpower and a handsome face made sense… But as for Master Guy?
Let's just stick with "willpower."
Shiki clearly didn't mind—he actually appreciated Might Guy's confidence.
"Master Guy, thank you for not stepping in," Shiki said gratefully. He had wanted to talk to Temari for a while now.
If Might Guy had interfered, he likely wouldn't have had such a long conversation with her.
Returning to the spectator seats, Shiki once again took his place among the audience, watching the battles play out.
He saw several fights afterward.
Compared with what he remembered from the original story, nothing significant changed.
The difference was that Gaara's battle occurred earlier than expected. His opponent wasn't Lee, but another ninja from the Oboro Ninja Village—someone Shiki didn't recognize.
However, what intrigued Shiki the most was that although he couldn't clearly recall specific details from the original story, he at least remembered for sure that ninja from Oboro Ninja Village had never passed the Forest of Death exam.
Also, the Grass Ninja Village didn't make it through either, so Karin was probably eliminated as well.
But what Shiki sincerely hoped was that in this timeline, Karin and Sasuke wouldn't be connected again.
Whatever the case, there was no doubt that many details from the original story were now changing.
Still, the results mostly weren't too surprising—after all, everyone's power levels were already pretty clear. Even with some deviations, the differences wouldn't be too extreme.
In total, there were ten matches, and they proceeded quickly because an extra team from Oboro Ninja Village was added. Shiki noticed that some people who originally hadn't won their battles did end up victorious.
The ninja from Oboro practically served as experience-givers. Perhaps due to sheer luck, they barely managed to pass the Forest of Death?
And just now, Lee won his match as well, precisely because he didn't end up facing Gaara.
"Still… I'm really scared about those two weirdos facing off again," Shiki murmured, a trace of emotion in his voice.
Because Lee's strength was even greater here than in the original story—at least enough for him to open the sixth Gate of Opening [Raikōmon] in the Eight Inner Gates technique [Hakke no Hōin]. Although it was a struggle, if Lee could activate the sixth gate, there was absolutely a chance he'd force out Shukaku sealed within Gaara.
If Shukaku were forced out at this point, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The plan—deceived by Orochimaru—to attack Konoha would start earlier than expected, although their preparations weren't fully complete yet. But for Konoha, it was the same situation.
After all, during the official Chunin Exams, Konoha had heightened security because many important figures had arrived.
So Shiki had already decided—if Gaara and Lee really faced each other in battle, he would stop that match no matter what.
"Hey! Did you see that, Shiki? I totally won that fight in an awesome way!" Lee shouted excitedly, though his eyes kept glancing toward the right-back corner where Sakura stood.
"Come on, seriously, do you have to pretend like this? If you want compliments from Sakura, just go tell her straight up."
Shiki teased gently with a playful tone.
Sakura had witnessed how Lee protected them during Team 7's most dangerous moment in the Forest of Death. She wasn't as cold toward him anymore.
She now saw Lee in a new light and no longer ignored him completely.
"Yeah, Lee, your performance really was amazing!"
Sakura nodded approvingly, though her voice still carried a trace of fatigue. In the third match, she and Ino had exhausted themselves completely until both ended their fight simultaneously.
Though she had recovered a bit, she wasn't completely back to full strength yet. However, her praise for Lee was definitely genuine.
"The next match is Neji Hyuga versus Hinata Hyuga!!!"
Just when Shiki was lazily watching Lee awkwardly flirting with Sakura, he suddenly heard Ryuunosuke's voice ring out from beside him.
So it really couldn't be avoided after all?
"Hinata, just forfeit. Absolutely don't engage in battle with Neji."
Kiba Inuzuka said worriedly. Previously, Kiba Inuzuka had also fought against Naruto. However, unlike in the canon storyline, Naruto's strength this time was noticeably greater than before.
Therefore, he was defeated fair and square by Naruto. Yet, instead of being carried off on a stretcher like in the canon storyline, he still had enough energy to stay here and watch the battle.
But right now, his tone came out tense. As Hinata's teammate, he naturally knew about the relationship between the Hyuga Main House and the Branch House.
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