The Tenseigan started from the Hyuga main family.

The only noteworthy point is that Kabuto Yakushi was brought back to Konoha after the Battle of Kikyo Mountain during the Third Shinobi World War and was adopted by a Jonin from the medical corps; he was not a commoner boy born in Konoha.

"Ah……"

With his keen senses, Hinata Sawatatsu naturally heard the conversation between the Third Hokage and Anko perfectly clearly, and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

Sending a spy to repeatedly infiltrate the Chunin Exams to gather intelligence, yet no one discovered a single clue. Not to mention, Kabuto served Danzo's Root organization for a long time when he was in Konoha, yet there's a complete blank in the records, demonstrating just how rotten Konoha has become.

Furthermore, the middle-aged man disguised as a Jonin leading a Sound Ninja team was clearly Orochimaru. Yet, despite being so close, Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't notice anything amiss.

It's fair to say that for anyone with even a little strength, infiltrating Konoha is as easy as eating and drinking. If Itachi Uchiha hadn't deliberately shown himself to intimidate the Konoha leadership, Kakashi probably wouldn't have noticed anything amiss.

"Hiyōnin, have you discovered something?"

Unexpectedly, Hyuga Zetsu's smile was fleeting, yet it was still caught by Sarutobi Hiruzen, who instantly appeared in front of Hyuga Zetsu and spoke in a deep voice.

Seeing that the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was actually asking a lowly genin a question, those who were unfamiliar with Hyuga Sawatatsu were all surprised.

"That guy, Dou, is clearly a spy."

Hinata Zechen hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Where's the evidence?"

Hongdou, standing nearby, angrily pressed on with the question.

"Kabuto's strength is quite good... It's not hard to tell from all the signs that his strength is on par with Kakashi's."

Upon hearing Hyuga Zechen's conclusion, the Jonin present all showed expressions of astonishment.

Kakashi's strength is among the best of the Jonin in the entire Hidden Leaf Village. If Kabuto is really that strong, wouldn't that mean that most of the Jonin present are no match for him?

Without any hesitation, Hiruzen Sarutobi chose to trust Hinata Sawatatsu's judgment and used Body Flicker Technique once again to arrive at the doorway that Kabuto had just walked out of.

However, the doorway was empty; Dou had vanished without a trace.

"Let's continue with the exam..."

Exhaling a long plume of white mist, Hiruzen Sarutobi returned to the center of the arena as if nothing had happened and spoke.

With the Jonin leaders from various ninja villages all present, it's clearly not appropriate to thoroughly investigate matters within Konoha right now, lest we make a fool of ourselves in front of outsiders.

"So, no one has quit, right?"

Hayate Gekko confirmed it again, especially after his gaze lingered on Sasuke for a second, before continuing.

"Then, the preliminary rounds will begin immediately, and will be conducted in a one-on-one combat format..."

After Moonlight Gale finished explaining the rules, the screen above began scrolling, randomly selecting a list of opponents, which made many candidates look nervous.

Hinata Sawatatsu VS Kankuro!

Hmm, Sasuke wasn't in the first match?

Hinata Zechen glanced at Orochimaru out of the corner of his eye and noticed that the other man's index finger twitched rapidly, revealing his inner turmoil.

It seems that Hiruzen Sarutobi personally intervened and disrupted Orochimaru's plan?

Hinata Zechen couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, standing still and waiting for the match to begin.

"Go for it, Zechen!"

Hearing Hinata forcefully suppress her shyness and shout it out in public, Hyuga Zechen smiled and nodded.

"The first match will be between Hyuga Sawatatsu and Kankuro. Any objections?"

Moonlight Gale looked at the two people standing opposite each other, and after confirming again, raised his arm.

"Alright, let's begin the first round!"

Seeing Hinata Sawatatsu and Kankuro nod in confirmation, Gekko Hayate announced the start of the match.

"Do you need some time to prepare the puppet? Once I make my move, you won't have any chance."

Hinata Sawatatsu looked at Kankuro opposite him, without even activating his Byakugan, and spoke with a smile on his face.

Kankuro supported the crow, which was wrapped tightly in bandages with only a small tuft of hair showing, with one hand, and a solemn expression on his face.

He also remembered that when he entered the central tower, Gaara specifically asked the other person's name.

Only opponents who are strong enough to be recognized by Gaara are worth him speaking up for.

"bring it on!"

Kankuro didn't untie the puppet's bandages, but instead beckoned to Hyuga Sawatatsu in a very flippant manner, making a provocative gesture.

"You puppeteers are all so boring... Don't you know that under the Byakugan's keen insight, all pretense is meaningless?"

Hinata Sawa sighed in disappointment, leaned back slightly, and then spat out two gleaming, long water needles from his mouth.

Water Release: Heaven's Cry!

The many examinees watching from the second floor were completely unable to track the trajectory of the water needles. Only a number of Jonin, relying on their sharp eyesight, managed to catch the lightning-fast attack.

"boom!"

The puppet that Kankuro had placed to the side collapsed to the ground with a thud, pierced directly by two water needles. Immediately afterward, Kankuro's scream came from inside the bandage.

what?

The examinees present gasped in surprise, clearly not understanding why Kankuro, who had just been speaking, was now encased in bandages.

The next moment, the crow puppet, now free from the control of the chakra threads, collapsed to the ground with a thud. Pieces of bark peeled off the puppet's surface, revealing a humanoid puppet with three eyes and four arms.

"I understand……"

Standing on the second floor watching the battle, Shikamaru slammed his hand on the railing in front of him, his usual lazy demeanor vanishing instantly.

"Shikamaru, what have you figured out?"

Ino turned her head to the side and looked at her companion, whose demeanor was completely different from usual.

"The textbooks from the Ninja Academy used to mention that the Sand Village's specialty was the development of puppetry, using chakra to control puppets for attack and defense..."

With Shikamaru's prompting, Ino immediately connected Kankuro in front of her with the puppeteers described in textbooks.

"...The puppeteer's greatest weakness is the ninja himself. Especially in one-on-one duels, the opposing ninja will inevitably prioritize attacking the puppeteer himself."

At this moment, the bandages on the ground came undone, revealing Kankuro, whose two metacarpal bones had been pierced by water needles.

The meridians in his palm were destroyed by the water needles, causing Kankuro to completely lose the ability to control the puppets. The battle has now been decided.

"So Kankuro hid his true form inside bandages and used a puppet to impersonate himself as a trap to lure his opponent into attacking. Little did he know that all of his plans were seen through by the Byakugan."

Shikamaru shook his head, having to admit that Kankuro was indeed cunning. From beginning to end, he hadn't been able to tell that the initial Kankuro was actually a puppet in disguise.

"Since the match cannot continue, the winner is Hinata Sawatatsu."

Moonlight Gale, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, announced the result of the match.

Not to mention Shikamaru, even Hayate Gekko, a special Jonin, couldn't see through the puppet's disguise.

"Damn it, if we were to fight head-on, I couldn't possibly lose to you!"

Kankuro, being carried onto a stretcher by medical ninjas, passed by Hyuga Sawatatsu with a face full of resentment.

"You're treating Sasori's unwanted puppet like a treasure. No matter how many battles you fight, the result will always be the same."

Hinata Zechen's gaze lingered on the crimson scorpion mark on the crow's body, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

Chapter 40 Mutual Destruction? (Third Update, Please Read On)

He actually knows about Sasori of the Red Sand?

Kankuro's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to ask Hyuga Zetsu how he knew about this legendary Sand Ninja genius puppeteer, two medical ninjas had already carried him a distance away.

With a slight push of his feet, Hyuga Zechen flipped over and jumped up to the second floor, standing in front of Hinata.

"Congratulations, Brother Zechen."

Hinata's pretty face radiated a sense of pride and joy as she slightly raised her chin to look at Hyuga Sawatatsu.

"Hinata, you should do your best too!"

Hinata Zechen reacted quickly, grabbing Hinata's fair hand.

"Brother Zechen, please..."

In front of everyone, Hinata tried to struggle free, but after feeling the warmth from Hinata Zechen's palm, she could only blush and secretly look around. Fortunately, most of the examinees were focused on the screen that had started scrolling again, and no one noticed the intimate interaction between the two.

As Hinata looked up at the screen, she suddenly felt a surge of chakra flowing into her body through her palm.

Ok?

Hinata looked surprised, but out of trust in Hyuga Sawatatsu, she did not ask any questions.

The names scrolling on the screen stopped a moment later.

Uchiha Sasuke VS Akado Guy!

When Sasuke Uchiha's name appeared on the screen, Gaara, Neji, Rock Lee, Naruto... all the examinees who had long regarded Sasuke Uchiha as their rivals showed expressions of anticipation.

Let me see if Uchiha Sasuke is strong enough to be my opponent!

Hyuga Zechen looked around but did not see Uchiha Sasuke.

Could it be that Kakashi took advantage of the lull in the battle to preemptively seal Sasuke's Heavenly Curse Seal?

Roll your eyes, open!

With his Byakugan vision, Hyuga Zetsu immediately located Kakashi and Sasuke.

In a dark, secret room on the fourth floor of the tower, the floor was covered with strange runes written in blood, and kunai were stuck in key places.

Sasuke was shirtless, and his skin was also covered with blood-red runes.

At this moment, the blood in Kakashi's palm meandered down to his fingertips, completing the final step.

"Seal of Evil!"

After forming eighteen hand seals, Kakashi's expression turned serious, and he gave a low shout.

As Kakashi's palm pressed down on the Heaven's Curse Seal, Sasuke's body trembled uncontrollably, and he let out a scream.

A beam of light rose up, and the crimson runes on the ground seemed to come alive, climbing up Sasuke's body and entering Kakashi's palm.

When Kakashi raised his palm, a ring of black runes had appeared around the Heavenly Curse Seal, sealing the three tomoe within.