Chapter 31
"What… what?!!"
After understanding what Naruto meant, Sakura looked at him in horror.
"Naruto, have you lost your mind? That would offend everyone!"
The idea was unthinkable to her.
Right now, she just wanted to find a hidden corner, stay there for two days, and return to Konoha safely with everyone when it ended.
Naruto shrugged casually. "Sakura, don't worry. They're all weak—nothing to fear."
His words stunned not only Sakura but even Sakyo.
But thinking back to the unfathomable strength Naruto had shown, Sakyo actually started to believe his crazy talk.
"Alright! It's decided—we're going for it!"
Naruto clapped his hands excitedly. Just then, he saw a bunch of people running toward the meeting point.
Looked like time was up—the competition was starting now.
Most of the students had already formed small groups of three to five, just like Naruto's team.
"Hey, you're from the Hyūga clan, right? Want to join our squad? We'll protect you so you can use your Byakugan to find more special kunai—and we'll give you forty percent!"
Suddenly, two kids spotted Hinata and immediately tried to recruit her.
In a collection-based competition like this, reconnaissance ability was key. Whoever had the best scouting would have a huge advantage.
In no time, every Hyūga student became a hot commodity, with people promising all kinds of benefits to pull them in.
Hinata took a small step back and looked toward Naruto—her meaning was crystal clear: she'd follow him.
Simple!
Naruto stepped in front of Hinata and stared straight at the two Konoha students. "Sorry, she's with me."
"You guys can look for someone else."
His tone was extremely polite—almost overly courteous.
However…
Shiji Ganghan sneered at Naruto. "Just a monster. This isn't up to you. We want the Hyūga clan member's opinion, right, Muban?"
Shiji Muban nodded. He and Shiji Ganghan were brothers, both in the graduating class, with one extra year of training compared to most students—so they were full of confidence. They hadn't bothered recruiting anyone else; they only wanted a Hyūga.
Sakura let out a small laugh and quietly backed away from Naruto, looking at Shiji Ganghan with a hint of pity.
After spending so much time together, she knew Naruto's temper very well.
Sakyo's reaction was almost identical—she also took two steps back, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire…
"Oh? Acting tough here?"
Naruto suddenly gave them a feral grin. He raised one hand, and a terrifying torrent of chakra surged in his palm. An overwhelming sense of danger instantly spread across the entire area.
All the students who hadn't yet moved away were drawn to the disturbance. Seeing the blinding chakra in Naruto's hand, they sucked in cold breaths.
"Chakra materialized… is this guy really just a student?"
"We should probably stay away from him…"
Not far away—several dozen meters from Naruto—the Sand siblings stood watching.
Kankurō broke out in cold sweat. "Is he a jinchūriki too? How else could he have that much chakra?"
Temari swallowed hard and said to Gaara, "Gaara, do we really want to mess with these guys? Maybe pick a different target?"
Although Kankurō agreed in his heart, he instinctively looked toward Gaara. His brother's personality was too twisted now—no one knew if he might turn on Temari just for disagreeing…
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