This Naruto is a player.

Chapter 81 I'll Be Your Opponent

"It's really unexpected that Naruto was able to defeat Neji." Even after Sasuke finished fighting, Kiba was still thinking about the battle between Neji and Naruto.

Who is Neji?

He had heard of him before; he was a super genius of the Hyuga clan! His strength was terrifying.

Little did I know that Naruto was even more terrifying.

How could someone defeat Neji, who had been practicing Gentle Fist for ten years, simply by using Gentle Fist he had just learned?

It really opened his eyes.

The phrase "Genius is merely the threshold to my understanding" seems to describe Naruto more and more accurately the more you look at it.

Hinata, with her hands tucked in her pockets, secretly glanced at Naruto.

“Naruto-kun is still very hardworking; he just keeps working hard quietly.” Her voice was soft but exceptionally firm.

During his time at the Ninja Academy, Naruto would train for an extra 3 hours every day after school at the Third Training Ground (a daily task for the "Academic Superstar" title).

She saw it all.

"The seed that Naruto-kun watered with his sweat has finally blossomed." Thinking of this, a blush crept onto her face.

She glanced at Naruto again, and when she saw that he was looking at her, her face turned even redder.

"Hinata~ Hinata!" Kiba cried out in alarm, pointing at the electronic bulletin board.

Hinata looked in the direction he was pointing.

Hinata Hyuga VS Gaara
Two prominent names appeared on it.

Her pupils suddenly contracted, then dilated uncontrollably, her eyes churning with disbelief and turmoil.

"Hey, Hinata."

Ya felt his throat go dry, and his voice trembled slightly. "You might as well just admit defeat. You've seen his methods before."

Recalling how Gaara had cleanly and decisively defeated three opponents, leaving no trace of their bodies, Team 8 was so frightened that they turned and fled.

"This kind of monster is not something we can deal with."

The thought of that scene, where no remains were left, drained Hinata of all color from her face, turning her complexion pale and causing her body to stiffen and become somewhat unresponsive.

"Hinata, Kiba and I think the same thing,"

The most unassuming Shino awkwardly suggested, "My bugs tell me that fighting that kind of monster won't end well. If anyone can be a match for that guy, it's only Naruto."

Naruto-kun, huh?
"Whoo~~~~"

Upon hearing the name, Hinata took two deep breaths, allowing air to re-enter her lungs. Her stiff body seemed to ease, and she regained consciousness.

The distance between me and Naruto seems to be getting farther and farther, until I can no longer see his back, especially after graduation.

This time, she wanted to test the gap between the two of them herself; she didn't want to be left behind.

On the field, under Kurenai's watchful eye and despite Kiba and Shino's attempts to dissuade her, Hinata makes her appearance.

"Hinata actually ran into him."

Upon seeing the red-haired man from Sunagakure, Sakura frowned slightly, recalling Naruto's comments on all the examinees that night after the written exam.

The little red-haired girl below is clearly among the strong, but what about Hinata's strength? She knows her; her strength is average.

Thinking of this, Sakura couldn't help but feel sorry for Hinata, but she still asked Naruto with a certain expectation, "Will they win?"

The probability is 0.

With his gaze fixed on the small figure in the arena, Naruto silently took a breath and spoke the unavoidable truth.

The match began, and Gaara's gourd was uncorked. Instead of medicine, it was filled with sand.

Red hair, a 'love' tattoo, and cement and sand all around him—Naruto looks at him more and more familiar. Could this guy be from the Funeral Love Clan?

Countless grains of sand flew out of the gourd and automatically swirled around him.

Hinata began to probe, but Gaara didn't seem to intend to take the initiative. Instead, he stood still and let Hinata probe as she pleased.

However, Gaara's sand has a built-in protective function, and Hinata's attacks were all deflected without harming the little red-haired girl in the slightest.

Suddenly, the situation on the field changed dramatically, and Gaara began to take the initiative to attack.

bang bang bang~~~
Hinata tried her best to disperse the sand that was attacking her. According to Kakashi, Hinata's Byakugan has a 360° field of vision. Although she could see clearly, she could not defend against it all because the sand was attacking from all directions at once.

thump~
Hinata was accidentally slammed into the wall by sand.

The one-sided crushing victory made Naruto unable to bear watching any longer, and he muttered to himself, "That's it, Hinata, let's just give up like this."

Hinata did not stand up as Naruto had hoped. Although her clothes were stained red with blood, she stubbornly stood up again.

She was tenacious, but Gaara had no heart.

thump~
As soon as Hinata stood up, more sand slammed against the wall.

Even from that distance, Naruto could feel the vibration.

The fist tightened.

Covered in blood, Hinata tried to get up again, but her small body was increasingly enveloped by sand.

This move!
Those who saw it were instantly horrified, "Hinata!!!"

Gaara, his face turning bloodthirsty and crazed, stretched out his palm as if to crush Hinata to death, and squeezed her with his hand.

"Death! Sand-bound coffin!"

Whoosh~ Bang~
Just as the coffin made of yellow sand was about to pulverize Hinata, Naruto suddenly appeared and shattered the sand with a single palm strike.

Behind Hinata, several Jonin teachers also appeared. This is truly befitting of the Hyuga clan's princess.

"嘁~"

In this situation, Gaara felt as if his toy had been taken away, but he knew that continuing the attack was hopeless.

His eyes, hidden beneath dark circles, regained their composure. His expression was blank, his voice icy, "Why did you save her?"

In his eyes, life was less than a number, but rather like an ant that was trampled to death.

"Why? Because I'm willing!"

Looking back at Hinata, who was covered in blood and lying on the ground, gasping for breath, she was so small and pitiful.

Naruto sighed softly; she had done her best to fight to this point.

He took a step forward with an air of dominance, his surging chakra swirling around him, and said in a resounding voice, "This battle ends here. If you wish to continue, I will be your opponent from now on."

"You?"

Gaara felt an impulse; the battle between Naruto and Neji had already made his blood boil.

However, with so many Jonin around, he still suppressed this impulse.

"There will be an opportunity!" He carried the gourd on his back and left indifferently.

Watching his departing figure, and then looking at Hinata, who was covered in blood and already unconscious, Naruto felt a rare surge of anger.

Six of Bamboo, make arrangements for me. Next match, I want to fight Gaara!

After the battle, Hinata was rescued by the medical team.

Naruto took a look and thankfully it was all external injuries. After taking the Xiaoyao Pill, he was back to normal in five minutes.

Back on the second floor, Naruto found that Sakura was not there.

Looking at the sidelines, Sakura was in the middle of a match against the chicken from the Sound Village that Naruto had instantly defeated with his genjutsu—Zaku.

Sakura has a lot of chakra and is good at taijutsu, so she defeated him after three rounds of fierce fighting.

Then, one after another.

As Naruto focused on observing his opponent, a voice came from beside him.

"Naruto-kun, thank you." Hinata lowered her head, her face flushed, and her voice was timid and hesitant.

She wasn't the one who was covered in blood on the field just now, the one who insisted on going all the way. She was incredibly tenacious and persistent.

However, seeing her lively and energetic appearance, Naruto smiled brightly, "You're welcome. How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

This little girl was completely different from before. But Naruto realized that Hinata really did seem different.

The once gentle and timid girl who was bullied has begun to grow stronger inside.

As the future sun of the ninja world, Naruto generously spread his brilliance, saying, "You were great today, I'm starting to admire you."

Hinata looked up in surprise and met Naruto's gentle gaze.

Her eyes were bright and expectant as she stared at Naruto and asked, "Really?"

"Fake Du."

The light that had just ignited in Hinata's eyes vanished instantly. Seeing her pitiful, dejected appearance with her head down, Sakura couldn't help but slap Naruto hard. "Hey, Naruto!"

"Hahaha! Did you fall for it?"

Naruto winked at Hinata cheekily, intending to make a joke to help her forget her earlier failure, but seeing the pure expectation in her bright eyes, he immediately scratched the back of his head and unconsciously softened his voice.

"But seriously, Hinata was incredibly tenacious today! So cool! Uh... no, so beautiful!"

The words "tenacious," "handsome," and "beautiful" exploded in Hinata's ears like bombs.

She suddenly looked up at him, their eyes meeting for only half a second before she recoiled as if electrocuted, a blush spreading across her face like the softest rouge.

With her hands clasped together in front of her, her fingertips exerting a slight pressure, she lowered her head even further, managing to squeeze out a few words clearly from her throat: "It was Naruto-kun who encouraged me. I'm very... very grateful." Every word seemed to carry a burning warmth.

Hahaha. Naruto laughed brightly.

Shy little girls are indeed cute, but Hinata has definitely grown up.

This kind of growth can only be glimpsed in the details on occasions like today.

Judging from today's match, not only Hinata, but everyone in the same grade is growing rapidly.

Not just people,

According to the intelligence gathered from the various clones, the entire ninja world is undergoing changes.

Aside from Konoha, the major powers are all expanding their armies, preparing for war, and gearing up for a new conflict.

Naruto disliked war in the past simply because he couldn't extract the greatest profit from it.

But things are different now than they used to be.
Naruto now has numerous clones, making him incredibly powerful and capable of taking on even the five great nations single-handedly.

With our current strength, we can easily take advantage of the chaos to achieve our strategic objectives.

That's it,
Let them offer a salute to the birth of the sun!
Ninja World, your good days are coming!

Thank you to all the godfathers for your monthly tickets and donations.

Thank you all for your recommendation votes and continued reading!

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(End of this chapter)