Hinata also assumed a combat stance—calm and composed.
She didn't become arrogant after landing the first blow, and nodded seriously.
"Alright, Neji-nii-san. I'll go all out too!"
Earlier, Neji had dropped the usual "Lady Hinata" honorific.
That alone made Hinata quietly happy.
—
One minute later, Neji collapsed.
He had used everything he had—Rotation, Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms…
But it was all futile.
Hinata had completely overwhelmed him.
A decisive victory.
Many were caught completely off guard.
Hinata stepped forward and helped Neji up.
"Sorry, Neji-nii-san."
Neji's eyes were complicated. After a long pause, he shook his head.
"No need to apologize… You won, fair and square."
No one was more pleased than Hiashi in the audience.
He was very satisfied with the outcome.
—
Back in the waiting area, Hinata approached Naruto, a little excited.
"Hinata, you looked beautiful out there.
From now on, stay confident."
As expected, Naruto's praise made her eyes curve like crescent moons, her heart overflowing with happiness.
—
Match Two: Shino vs. Kankuro.
Kankuro's puppets didn't last long against the so-called "the undefeated legend."
His puppet techniques were still crude, dependent on chakra threads—
and Shino's Parasitic Insects could devour chakra threads, perfectly countering them.
A stable and easy win.
—
Match Three: Yamanaka Ino vs. Haruno Sakura.
The moment Hayate announced the match, Sakura's face lit up.
"Phew, good thing it's just Ino.
If it had been Naruto or Gaara, that would've been real trouble."
"Ino, I haven't slacked off at all lately.
Don't blame me if you lose!" Sakura said confidently.
Ino gave a calm smile.
"Is that so? I could say the same to you."
As her best friend, Sakura knew Ino's strengths and weaknesses well—
So her plan was simple: Don't give Ino a chance to cast Mind Body Switch.
Right at the start, Sakura hurled three shuriken, aiming to force Ino to dodge and disrupt her focus.
Meanwhile, she rushed in from the side to close the distance.
The plan went smoothly—Sakura was already within striking range.
She believed her taijutsu was far superior to Ino's.
As long as she got in close—it was a done deal.
"This match is mine!"
Sakura leapt forward, spinning in midair to unleash a fierce whip kick at Ino's face.
She could already taste victory—the corner of her lips curled.
But what Sakura thought was the perfect tactic—
To Ino, it was child's play.
After intense training with Naruto, Ino had completely transformed.
"Mental Shock!"
Buzz!
Midair, Sakura's body suddenly lost all balance.
She crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
When she opened her eyes, she was dazed—her head throbbing with pain.
"Give it up, Sakura. You're too weak right now.
If you try that again, you'll seriously get hurt," Ino said calmly.
But Sakura clutched her head and stubbornly stood.
"Ino… When did you get this strong?
A few days ago you said you were going to see Naruto—was it him who made you this strong?!"
Her tone became disoriented, her thoughts fragmented.
Ino's silence confirmed her suspicions.
Suddenly, a second personality stirred inside Sakura.
Her once-pretty face began to contort.
"Naruto… again it's Naruto…
Why is it always him?! Why is he always targeting me?!
WHY?!"
Her shrill screams made many cover their ears in discomfort.
Ino, shocked by how severe Sakura's reaction was to a single Mental Shock, felt a twinge of guilt.
They had, after all, been childhood friends.
After the outburst, Sakura seemed to calm down—
But her entire aura had changed.
There was a madness in her eyes.
Even her posture had become far more provocative.
"Naruto… why did I ever oppose him?
A man like that… obviously he should belong to me! Hahaha!"
Ino had no idea that her one spell had merged Sakura's split personalities.
Now Sakura's entire worldview had shifted.
Especially toward Naruto, who had always outshined her.
This new Sakura had unexpectedly triggered a deeply buried masochistic trait,
and had begun fantasizing about being dominated even more cruelly by Naruto.
"HAHAHAHA—Ino! You shouldn't have gotten so close to Naruto!
You should die!!"
The image of Ino spending a whole month with Naruto sent Sakura into a frenzy.
Like a panther, she lunged at Ino, far faster than before.
Even Ino felt a chill—
'What do you mean I should die just for being close to Naruto?!'
Irritated, Ino fired off a stronger Mental Shock.
Sakura froze mid-lunge.
Even with her sudden surge in strength, her unstable state couldn't withstand the blow.
She collapsed, unconscious.
"Winner: Yamanaka Ino!"
After checking Sakura's condition, Hayate announced the result.
Sakura was immediately carried off by the medical-nin.
—
Naruto had been watching carefully the whole time.
Something about Sakura's strange behavior troubled him.
Using Transparent World, he could tell—
Sakura's soul had undergone some sort of transformation.
Back in the waiting area, Ino approached Naruto nervously.
"Naruto… after that Mental Shock, Sakura started acting like a different person.
Does this technique mess with people's minds?"
Naruto shook his head slowly.
"Not normally."
"Then why did Sakura…" Ino pressed, even more confused.
"Unless… the person already had serious mental instability to begin with.
That might cause… unpredictable consequences."
Ino gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
"Wait… are you saying Sakura's been mentally ill all along?!"
But she trusted Naruto's words completely.
Looking back, she now realized—
Sakura had always shown signs: sweet one moment, explosively angry the next.
—
On the side, Shikamaru scratched his head.
"Ugh… just listening to this stuff makes my head itch.
So damn troublesome."
Then, Hayate's voice rang out again:
"Next match—Uzumaki Naruto vs. Gaara of the Sand!"
The crowd went completely silent.
Just hearing Uzumaki Naruto's name made everyone tense up.