Naruto: The Caged Bird Cannot Confine Me - Feng Hou Qi Men

"That's precisely why your overconfidence has exposed your flaws!"

With the help of her Byakugan, Hinata gathered all of her Gentle Fist chakra in her right arm, changed its shape, and condensed it into a blue lion's head.

That is a secret advanced taijutsu technique that only the Hyuga main family teaches: Gentle Step Twin Lion Fist.

Even if Hinata tries her best now, she can only unleash half of her power.

And this was after receiving guidance from Feng Qi multiple times!

The ferocious chakra lion head rushed out and quickly broke through Orochimaru's hastily deployed defense, slamming a heavy punch into his face.

The powerful force forced Orochimaru to stagger backward, crashing into a thick tree trunk behind him with a loud bang.

The tree trembled, and leaves fluttered down.

Along with that, Orochimaru's disguise as a Grass Ninja slowly peeled off, revealing half of his true face.

"Hehe, not bad, very good."

Despite the heavy blow, Orochimaru remained unfazed, a chilling smile spreading across his face. "Hinata Hyuga, I am very satisfied with your performance."

Hinata ignored his absurd remarks and took a step forward, wanting to press her advantage, but to her horror, she found that her body was frozen in place, unable to move!

The instant she was knocked away, Orochimaru applied a binding technique to her!

Whoosh!

Having successfully verified the potential of Hinata Hyuga's body, Orochimaru no longer hesitated, and his neck stretched out in an abnormal way.

After spinning two and a half times in the air, it bit Hinata's neck.

puff.

As the fangs were pulled out, a crimson light flashed, and a black three-tomoe curse mark immediately appeared on the side of Hinata's neck.

A searing, excruciating pain spread from the bite site throughout Hinata's body. Hinata let out a painful scream and collapsed to the ground, her vision gradually blurring.

“Your eyes are filled with a strong desire to become stronger, and staying in Konoha will not satisfy that desire.”

"If you want to gain power, come find me, Hinata Hyuga."

After leaving behind those words, Orochimaru's body sank little by little and disappeared into the tree trunk.

He was extremely excited after successfully planting the Heavenly Curse Seal on Hinata Hyuga, as if he could already see the bright future after taking over this "container" and successfully developing the Eight Trigrams Byakugan.

At that time, he will be as omnipotent as Hyuga Kazeki, mastering the basic variations of all ninjutsu.

Whether it's Hashirama Senju's Wood Release, immortality, or even the essence of this world, it's no longer difficult to grasp!

Orochimaru was so engrossed in this wonderful experience that he couldn't extricate himself.

Little did he know, he had been completely fooled by Feng Qi from the very beginning...

"Damn bastard, don't think you can get away so easily!"

"Hinata! How are you?!"

In the last second before her consciousness was about to collapse, Hinata saw Kiba angrily smashing a tree trunk, and Shino running towards her with a worried expression.

Power...

A seed sprouted in the heart of a timid girl.

-

The outskirts of Konoha Village.

A biting wind blew, causing the flowing gray robe to billow.

"Orochimaru really has his eye on the Byakugan after all."

Feng Qi, standing high above, murmured softly.

The events unfolded almost exactly as he had predicted: Orochimaru, who was supposed to be after Sasuke Uchiha, planted the Curse of Heaven on Hinata instead!

Recalling the moments he shared with Hinata, his adopted younger sister, in Konoha, Feng Qi gently stroked the slightly rough handmade rope on his wrist.

Having witnessed the entire battle between Orochimaru and Team 8 in the Forest of Death, he had absolutely no intention of intervening.

No one knows Hinata better than him.

That guy may seem weak on the surface, but he's stronger than anyone else inside!

Although it may seem cruel, leaving Konoha, a place rife with various interests and power struggles, might not be such a bad thing for Hinata, who has lost the protection of the main family.

At least, that's what the hexagram shows.

"Would Hinata join Orochimaru in pursuit of ultimate power...?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 71 The Sound Ninja Trio

On the first day of the Death Forest test, one-third of the teams were eliminated, mostly young people who lacked the skills but wanted to fight head-on.

The remaining teams, having experienced the harshness of this test, began to go into hiding, lying in wait for their opportunity.

The exam officially entered the stage of intelligence gathering, covert assassinations, and intrigue, starting to resemble the atmosphere of a ninja battlefield.

This may be the fundamental reason why this exam does not restrict killing—the real battlefield is far more brutal than these genin can imagine!

The towering tree blocked out the sky, and Class 8 hid inside a naturally formed tree hole.

"Shino, what should we do now? None of us know medical ninjutsu..."

Looking at Hinata lying on the ground in pain, Kiba's voice was full of worry.

Woof…

Akamaru, his brows furrowed, let out a low groan.

Since being bitten by that mysterious enemy, Hinata has been in a deep coma, her whole body is radiating heat, and there has been no improvement so far!

“I’ve examined her with the parasitic insects. Her chakra is very chaotic right now, and there seems to be some abnormal chakra that I’ve never encountered before.”

Kiba had his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, and black sunglasses obscured his eyes, making it impossible to discern his expression. "Just who is that ninja from Kusagakure...?"

"Is there really no other way?" Ya clenched his fists tightly.

"This situation is beyond our control. We can only hope that Hinata can persevere."

"My parasites can detect her physical condition; if all else fails, she can just abstain."

Shino pulled his hands out of his pockets, bent his legs and sat down cross-legged, silently watching over Hinata.

More than his successful promotion to Chunin, he was concerned about the safety of his teammates, since it wasn't a mission he absolutely had to complete.

Upon hearing this, Ya lowered his head in frustration, his clenched teeth revealing his resentment.

Always competitive, he dreamed of becoming a Chunin; otherwise, he wouldn't have declared his intention to take first place from the very beginning.

However, he also agreed with Shino's point of view, that it was impossible to disregard Hinata's life for the sake of a title.

"That damn snake-playing bastard!"

Tooth was so angry that he punched the tree root next to him, leaving a clear fist mark on it.

Seemingly disturbed by the noise, Hinata, who was curled up on the ground, trembled a few times and slowly opened her tightly closed eyes.

"Hinata! How are you? Are you feeling alright?!"

Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino immediately surrounded them.

Hinata tilted her head with difficulty, her white pupils flashing with unwavering determination: "Shino, no, I can't give up, I, I can do it..."

Becoming a Chunin is her first step toward becoming a Feng Qi. If she can't even persevere to this extent, how will she get on the road ahead?

Influenced by a certain blond-haired man, she adopted keeping her word as her code of conduct, and the changes in the family drama made her change her timid nature.

Therefore, she had no reason to give up, she absolutely could not give up, she would never give up even if it meant death!

Shino stared at Hinata, who looked like this, for several seconds. Recalling the dramatic changes in the Hyuga clan and the Hinata of the past, he couldn't help but sigh heavily: "Okay, Hinata, I promise you."

"It's alright, Hinata. No matter what, I will defeat the enemy and we'll reach the central tower together!"

Compared to Shino's somber and indifferent words, Kiba displayed a high level of passion.

Wang Wang!

Akamaru shouted twice, then cheered Hinata on.

The atmosphere inside the tree root cave finally regained some vitality and was no longer so lifeless.

However, just as Shino calmed down and was preparing to consider Hinata's current situation and what course of action to take, his expression suddenly changed.

The parasitic insects left outside to monitor the surrounding environment have sent a dangerous signal that an enemy has appeared!

"Oh no, Tooth, someone's coming!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three dark figures appeared silently and arrived at the open space in front of the tree hole.

The headbands they wore indicated their identities; they were a team from the Land of Rice Fields' Sound Village sent by Orochimaru to test Hinata's cursed seal power!

"Hahaha, so that's why I can't find the other teams. So you guys are hiding in this dirty, dark corner."

The arrogant and self-important Sack Stirrup crossed his arms and spoke first.

Toth Anvil, his body wrapped in bandages, stood beside him with a cold gaze, while Jyn Hammer wore a faint, mocking smile.

"Ki, you stay here with Akamaru."

With a sway of his trench coat, Shino, sensing the unfriendly nature of the newcomer, slowly rose to his feet.

Upon hearing this, Ya immediately stood up: "No, there are three people on the other side, I have to fight too!"

"Forget it, you'd only be a burden if you came along," Shino said calmly.

In the previous encounter, both Kiba and Akamaru suffered considerable injuries. Forcing themselves to fight the enemy would only complicate the situation further and could even endanger their lives.

The parasitic insect sensed the killing intent; the three people opposite it definitely did not appear to be kind.

That's the logic, but that arrogant, self-righteous tone is really infuriating.

"You bastard, do you want to steal the spotlight all by yourself?!" Tooth's lips twitched, and he couldn't help but roar angrily.

"Protecting Hinata is our most important task right now."