"Natsuro." At this moment, Kakashi also approached as Naruto was walking away.
"Hmm? Is there something you need, Kakashi?" Natsuro asked, somewhat confused.
"I've heard from Sakura about what happened during the exam. I wanted to ask about the sealing technique you used..." Kakashi stated, revealing the purpose of his visit.
"Four Symbols: Eight Trigrams," Natsuro answered directly.
Instantly, Kakashi's eyes widened. He had been worried that Natsuro's sealing technique might not be effective, and if that were the case, he would need to come back and seal it again. Now, it seemed...
Sorry for bothering you; he realized he wasn't worthy of this half-hearted approach.
Among the people Kakashi knew who could use these sealing techniques, only his teacher and his teacher's wife could, so he never expected Natsuro to know them as well...
Not only was he strong at such a young age, but he was also excelling in other areas. It seemed he could even perform medical ninjutsu! Kakashi felt that Natsuro was no longer a genius but a freak.
This was thanks to the Shadow Clone Technique. After all, for techniques that leaned more toward knowledge-based ninjutsu, Natsuro could let his shadow clones assist him in learning.
"What's the matter? Do you need to seal it again?" Natsuro, aware of Kakashi's intention, asked with a hint of amusement.
"No, no need! Haha," Kakashi said, scratching his silver hair, feeling a bit awkward, and then slipped away.
Looking down at the battle, it was basically coming to an end. Naruto, who had mastered Natsuro's version of Gale Palm, was somewhat overpowered in this examination.
The Natsuro version of Gale Palm itself wasn't terrifying, but combined with Naruto's monstrous stamina and that seemingly bottomless chakra… it was extremely frightening, with almost no weaknesses.
While Kiba's combination of the dog and his technique, Fang over Fang, could break through Naruto's defenses, it was nearly impossible for him to inflict serious damage on Naruto.
Instead, Kiba was gradually exhausting his energy with the use of Fang over Fang.
Seeing Naruto still bouncing around while he was worn out made Kiba feel a sense of despair.
Meanwhile, the few sound ninjas above exchanged glances, sympathizing with this unfamiliar Leaf ninja. They understood this kind of pain!
Naruto had actually achieved it. Kakashi couldn't help but sigh and glanced at Natsuro, contemplating whether to go over this time.
While in terms of potential, Sasuke, who had mastered Chidori, was still stronger, Kakashi knew that Naruto, having learned this technique, had raised his baseline significantly.
Even if he didn't use certain ninjutsu, he wouldn't choose to engage in a taijutsu battle with someone like Naruto under normal circumstances.
However, this meant that Naruto was likely only afraid of powerful Fire Release ninjutsu. As for weaker ones...
Although fire can borrow the power of wind, too strong a wind can blow out the fire.
Before long, Kiba ran out of energy and reluctantly admitted defeat, realizing that Naruto seemed to be quite strong...
On the other side, Hinata watched as Naruto approached, noticing the few wounds he had sustained from Kiba's Fang over Fang, and hesitated. Her index finger began to twist.
Seeing this, Ino, standing nearby, patted Hinata on the shoulder, offering an encouraging smile.
When Hinata saw Ino's smile, her face flushed, and she finally stepped forward. Under Naruto's puzzled gaze, she handed him a medicine packet, blushing and speaking quickly.
"This is a healing ointment. Please… please take it!"
"Eh? Why are you giving this to me...?" Naruto scratched his head, looking at Hinata curiously.
He recognized her as the strange girl who always shyly avoided him every time they met. He seemed to remember that she had helped him before.
Unfortunately, every time he tried to thank her afterward, she would shyly ignore him.
"Here, Naruto, just take it," Natsuro chimed in, having appeared next to them at some point, smiling. He actually wanted to see this pair reach their happy ending.
"Okay, okay," Naruto nodded, flashing his signature smile at Hinata. "Thank you, Hinata!"
"Um, um... you're welcome." Hinata shyly turned her head and jogged back, looking as if she had accomplished something significant, appearing very happy.
"Tch, I clearly look worse, right...?" Kiba remarked to Ino as he observed the scene.
"Well, you'll understand eventually," Ino smiled and replied.
Back with her team, Hinata approached Kiba and handed him the same healing ointment, but this time she didn't seem as shy and had a happy expression on her face.
Kiba stared blankly at the ointment in his hand and sighed. Fine, at least she hadn't forgotten about him.
However, Hinata's smile didn't last long and quickly turned pale.
Because, as they finished tidying up the arena that had been damaged by Fang over Fang, a new round of match-ups appeared on the screen.
"Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga!"
Seeing this, Natsuro couldn't help but show a curious smile. The battle between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan was about to take place... Natsuro thought of the Hyuga clan's caged bird, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. No one knew what Natsuro really thought about the caged bird.
Soon, a brutal battle began. After all, Neji Hyuga was a true genius, slightly more talented than Sasuke. However, Sasuke had been "cheating" all along, making Neji seem a bit behind.
As Natsuro watched Neji mercilessly attack Hinata, he felt that Neji should really be taught a lesson by Naruto.
Although Hinata was theoretically still part of the main family, it was quite obvious; Hinata was the one who had been abandoned, just not yet under the caged bird.
So, why take out his anger on Hinata?
Or perhaps being treated so specially was even more despicable?
Watching Hinata fall and feeling the blood she left on the ground, he smiled at Naruto, who had vowed to avenge Hinata. Let's leave it to Naruto.
Then, Natsuro's expression became serious as he watched the match between Rock Lee and Gaara. After contemplating for a moment, he approached Might Guy.
"Guy, I need to discuss something with you," Natsuro began.
"Hmm? What's the matter? Can't it wait until Lee's match is over?" Guy inquired.
"It's about Lee's current match," Natsuro replied, explaining Gaara's ability to unleash a devastating sandstorm.
He reminded Guy that for Lee's future, if there was any risk of being enveloped by sand, he should let Lee forfeit. As Lee's mentor, Guy had the authority to do so, even if it would come with penalties.
"Is there really such a dangerous ninjutsu? I understand, but I still believe in Lee." At this moment, Guy's expression also became serious, and he added, "But thank you, Natsuro. I will be careful."
"That's good." Natsuro nodded, knowing the bond between Guy and Lee. He then left, as he had other matters to attend to. He finally had the chance to say what he had previously wanted to.
Natsuro approached Kurenai and said, "Kurenai, shouldn't you consider what I mentioned before? It might be time to let Hinata give up; she's not suited for this path."
Kurenai fell silent. Natsuro had subtly brought this up with her before, but she had not paid attention at the time. Now… Kurenai was reflecting on the figure being carried away on a stretcher.
"Natsuro, how can you say that? Hinata has been trying so hard…" Naruto looked at Natsuro, finding it difficult to accept.
"The issue with Hinata isn't about effort or talent; her biggest problem lies in her character. She isn't suited for the path of a combat ninja," Natsuro replied.
"But, but… didn't you see how hard Hinata just worked?" Naruto still refused to accept it.
"So what? Should we let Hinata continue on a path that isn't right for her? Are you sure that wouldn't harm her?" Natsuro countered.
As Naruto struggled to find a retort, Natsuro continued, "And I never said Hinata should give up being a ninja. Naruto, there are many types of ninjas. There are not only combat types but also sealing types, logistics types, reconnaissance types, and medical types, all of which are more suitable for Hinata."
Naruto paused. Wasn't it about giving up being a ninja? But…
"Natsuro, you should know the rules of the Hyuga clan. If Hinata wants to become part of the main family, she can't give up on combat…" Kurenai also wanted to say something at this point.
"Kurenai, when Hinata showed up in your class, didn't that already represent her being abandoned?" Natsuro retorted. Why did everyone like to deceive themselves? Natsuro estimated that Hinata's own character had already accepted this fact.
Suddenly, Kurenai's breath caught in her throat. She had always understood this truth, but she was unwilling to tell Hinata this cruel reality. She still hoped there might be a glimmer of hope, yet Natsuro had directly shattered that hope.
"Recognizing reality early and finding the most suitable path is actually beneficial for everyone," Natsuro said again, adding, "But I'm not Hinata's instructor; I just wanted to remind you. How to teach is still up to you."
"What do you think is the path Hinata is more suited for?" Kurenai sighed, asking somewhat helplessly.
"Reconnaissance and medical ninjutsu. As for reconnaissance, it goes without saying that every Byakugan user is good at it. For medical ninjutsu, Hinata's character is quite meticulous, and the Byakugan can help her see some medical conditions that ordinary medical ninjas cannot," Natsuro explained.
As Natsuro spoke, Kurenai couldn't help but nod. It seemed reasonable. The Byakugan could penetrate the body and directly see the internal bones and meridians, indeed helping to discover some unusual medical issues.
"Also, once she masters medical ninjutsu, she can learn a technique called Chakra Scalpel, which I think is very suitable for Hinata. It allows one to cut through the surface of a ninja's body directly, targeting their muscles and meridians. Perhaps later, Hinata could combine it with her Byakugan and Gentle Fist," Natsuro contemplated and then said, "After all, at Hinata's current status, it should be very difficult for her to learn the Eight Trigrams series of ninjutsu, right?"
If she had access to techniques like the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, which perfectly matched the Byakugan, there would be no need for the scalpel. However, the Hyuga clan could no longer teach such techniques to Hinata; at most, they could teach some other branch techniques, which might have some power but wouldn't be as well-suited for the Byakugan.
As for the scalpel, the Byakugan could clearly see the opponent's meridians and chakra flow, so it should be quite compatible to use, and it could directly cause significant damage to the body.
"...Okay, I will consider it," Kurenai said, somewhat surprised as she looked at Natsuro. Did he really think this much about Hinata? It shouldn't just be casual talk; he must have thought it through.
However, Kurenai recalled that Natsuro seemed to be teaching others, like Naruto, who seemed to have been taught by him… so it wasn't surprising.
At this moment, Naruto finally regained his composure, carefully savoring Natsuro's words. His eyes lit up, feeling that it sounded impressive as he said, "What? So Natsuro has already thought this through? Don't scare me like that! I thought you believed effort was useless too."
Saying this, Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief. If Natsuro thought that way, he really wouldn't know what to do.
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Currently on Chapter 183 - Immune to Genjutsu?