Chapter 222: Hinata vs. Neji, the Battle of Fate Begins
No girl doesn't love beauty, and that included Temari, a girl from the sand-covered Land of Wind. Scars were a man's badge of honor, but for a girl, they were an indelible blemish.
Although the scar was on her stomach, and she usually wore a full-body combat suit that would cover it, the location was far too sensitive and could easily lead to... unpleasant associations.
Her expression changed, and in the end, she couldn't resist her instincts. "Just a 'thank you'—it's not impossible to say."
"If I say thank you, will you really heal me?"
"This... this isn't just a trick to make fun of me, is it?"
Akiyama Makoto smiled faintly. "As long as it's something I've promised, I will do my best to fulfill it."
Temari looked at him, half-believing, but finally relented. It was just a "thank you." For the sake of victory, she could even give up her life. What was a little insincere flattery?
"Thank... thank you for healing me."
As the words left her mouth, the expression on her face softened. She was a person who was merciless to her enemies. Because of the Konoha Crush plot, she had already treated all Konoha ninja as potential enemies, so she naturally hadn't shown him a pleasant face. Especially since he had also beaten up her brother. As the eldest sister, she was actually very protective of her family and felt that Gaara had become this way because she hadn't taken good care of him.
So this "thank you" now, it had softened the relationship between the two, which had been even more tense than between two warring parties.
"You're welcome. You can rest assured now. I will continue to treat you."
He was a man of his word and wouldn't say or do anything strange at a time like this. He was in a hurry to see the rest of the exam, after all.
He then mixed in a trace of Yang chakra and infused it into her body with his Mystical Palm. She immediately felt her body heat up. The strange sensation made her let out a muffled groan.
She instantly flushed red, feeling that this sensation was... similar to something else. She quickly looked to see if he was doing anything strange. But she only saw him, his expression focused, the chakra light in his hand shining ever brighter, and the faint scar on her body slowly fading. Only then did she relax, assuming this was just his unique healing technique.
But this feeling...
She was clearly not yet familiar with his Yang chakra "massage." Kurenai Yūhi, on the side, watched all of this with a half-smile, certain that Temari would not be able to escape his grasp now.
As for him, he was waiting for the system prompt to appear.
Only after he had collected her pheromones did he casually pat her stomach. "Perfect. I really admire myself."
Temari, who had been so comfortable she was about to fall asleep, jolted upright and swung her fist at his face. "You bastard! Healing is one thing, but why are you patting me?!"
"Ah, sorry. Habit."
He apologized casually, which made her unable to follow through with her punch.
"How about this? I won't charge you a consultation fee. We'll call it even, how about it?"
"You were going to charge me a consultation fee?" she asked, her face full of disbelief.
"Why not? Did you see any other Konoha ninja treating the injured ninja from other villages?"
She was taken aback. After thinking about it carefully, it was true. Let alone treating injuries, all the ninja who had died in the Forest of Death... hadn't they just died in vain? Konoha wouldn't take a shred of responsibility for it. It could only be said that this was the fate of a ninja, and that the Chūnin Exams truly were the essence of a war simulation.
Only then did she touch her stomach. There was no feeling there at all. It was clear that she had been healed very well. This level of healing ability, in her eyes, was an unbelievable technique. His medical ninjutsu was probably ranked very highly in Konoha.
Why would such a person treat me?
She became vigilant. "Then why did you treat me—and not even charge me? What are you planning?"
"Do I have to be planning something?"
He took out a towel, wiped his hands, and then handed it to her. "Wipe up. I saved you because my girlfriend injured you. That's all."
"I can tell you're the type to hold a grudge. I don't want you to hurt my girlfriend in the future because of this."
Temari, who had just taken the towel, was so provoked by his words that she threw it back at him. "I'm not the type to hold a grudge, you bastard! I—I'm very gentle with the people in my village, okay?"
"But we're not from your village—"
He shrugged, preparing to leave.
This scene made her pause. She had always seen the people of Konoha as potential enemies, not even as human. But now, she suddenly realized that they were also living people, with their own loves and hates.
At this moment, her unwavering faith in the Konoha Crush plot suddenly wavered.
Just as he and Kurenai were about to leave the room, she finally spoke. "For the sake of your excellent technique... fine. Even if we have a conflict in the future, I won't hurt you."
He turned back, giving her a handsome profile. "Then I'll thank you in advance."
Afterward, he and Kurenai walked towards the arena.
Kurenai couldn't help but say, "So you like her type too?"
"Big Sister Kurenai, don't make me sound so fickle. I'm truly just thinking about everyone's future safety."
"Only a little girl would believe that."
"In my eyes, you are a cute and beautiful little girl, Big Sister Kurenai."
She rolled her eyes at him. As someone who had already had... relations... with him many times, she naturally wouldn't be so easily flustered by his words. She reached out and ruffled his hair, messing it up, and then returned to the arena one step ahead of him.
He helplessly smoothed his hair and followed. When he arrived, he was surprised to find that he hadn't missed the best part.
In the half-hour he was gone, the Konoha ninja had first cleaned up the tools on the field, and then performed a simple repair of the arena, so that it was no longer full of large craters.
Finally, one match had been held: Aburame Shino vs. Misumi Tsurugi.
It was a match without any suspense. Misumi, as a Sound-nin spy, had mastered the Soft Physique Modification. He could use his limbs to entangle others and strangle them. This method might be effective against ninja of the same level, but he was facing Shino.
For Shino, who was covered in poisonous insects, his act of rushing up and embracing him was no different from suicide. He just had to let his insects crawl out and bite him once, and the battle was over.
And next up was a focus battle that he was very concerned about.
Hyūga Hinata vs. Hyūga Neji.
When the two of them walked onto the field, many people couldn't help but pay close attention. This was a showdown between the Hyūga main family and the branch family, between the abandoned heiress and the branch family genius.
From the way the two of them were looking at each other, and the hatred in Neji's gaze, it was not difficult to see that this was also a battle of revenge.
He also looked at Hinata curiously, wondering if she could still make it to the final round this time.
In the simulation, the reason she had been able to pass was because she hadn't run into Neji. Although he had strengthened her, the time had been too short. Therefore, he didn't think she would be his match.
Of course, the current Hinata certainly wouldn't be completely helpless, either. Her chakra thread technique alone was enough to give any Hyūga a headache.
"I didn't expect my opponent to be you—"
A cold smile was on Neji's lips. He even seemed to be trembling with excitement.
Hinata spoke calmly. Unlike the trembling girl from the original story, her eyes were now filled with determination. "It's been a long time, Neji-niisan."
"I'm surprised. You're... different from the past. Is it because of him? That guy is certainly interesting, to dare to date you and Tenten at the same time."
She blushed slightly, but she did not panic and deny it. "I'm sorry to have been a disappointment, Neji-niisan."
"Hmph. I'm not interested in your affairs. But since you've already been abandoned by the main family, and you're his and Tenten's friend, I'll go easy on you."
Neji took his stance, and she immediately assumed the same.
But her next words were particularly piercing to his ears.
"I hope... you will still go all out. Otherwise, you might lose."
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