Chapter 76: Leaf Genin Unite to Ostracize Sand Ninjas - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

Chapter 76: Leaf Genin Unite to Ostracize Sand Ninjas In the arena, the battle between Sasuke and Kankuro was intense. Kankuro was a puppeteer, renowned for his covert and bizarre attacks, often paired with deadly poisons. Just a small scratch from his concealed weapons could be fatal. But Sasuke bore the illustrious 'Uchiha' name, and with his double-tomoe Sharingan, he could see through the puppeteer's hidden weapon attacks. However, even with the ability to see through such attacks, it didn't mean his judgment and physical reactions could keep pace with the speed and frequency of his opponent's attacks. Thus, Sasuke struggled. To fully leverage the power of the Sharingan, one must swiftly make accurate judgments and responses the moment they discern an attack. If the reaction speed is too slow, then what's the use of the Sharingan? Kakashi still owed Sasuke a Chidori. Without activated lightning chakra cells, Sasuke's speed was lacking. Fortunately, Kankuro only had his 'Crow' puppet to use, and once Sasuke figured out its pattern, he closed in and knocked Kankuro out. It must be said, the Sand trio's ninjutsu was strong, but their taijutsu left much to be desired. Hayate Gekko checked on Kankuro's condition and announced, "The winner, Uchiha Sasuke!" The screen flickered before settling on two names. "Gaara vs. Rock Lee!" "Awesome!" Choji was ecstatic, raising both hands in excitement, "Woohoo... we're safe!" While Choji would have preferred to face Lee, with over 120 explosive kunai in hand, he wasn't afraid of Dosu. Dosu's face darkened. From his perspective, as long as he didn't face Gaara, he was confident of winning against the other two. But who could have predicted Hinata would help Choji get so many explosive tags? That's over 120 explosive tags! Dosu couldn't imagine what would be left of him after being bombarded by all those tags. He cursed silently, "Damn you, Hinata Hyuga!" Glancing at his teammates, they both shook their heads. Dosu: "..." The Leaf's wealthy were truly shameless! Calming himself, Dosu touched the arm guard on his right arm, deciding he'd have to rely on his sound wave to disperse the enemy's kunai. He just hoped his chakra would hold out. The most exciting match of the Chunin Exams was about to commence. Hinata watched the two in the arena with interest. Though she initially planned to eliminate Gaara in the second exam to help Lee advance, Orochimaru's intervention had thwarted her plans. Thinking of this, Hinata glared at Orochimaru's direction... Sensing her gaze, Orochimaru met her eyes, smiling with amusement. Hinata didn't shy away, mentally daring him to try anything. In the arena, Hayate signaled, "The seventh match... begin!" 'Thud!' Lee moved swiftly, almost instantly closing in on Gaara. "Leaf Hurricane!" Gaara remained indifferent, arms crossed, as sand from his gourd emerged to block Lee's assault. Despite several attempts, Lee couldn't make him budge. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, his expression serious, "We encountered that sand ninja in the Forest of Death. Only by moving faster than his sand can you hope to hit him." Hinata nodded, "Exactly, that little gourd's taijutsu is weak!" Neither Hinata nor Sasuke lowered their voices, clearly offering tactical advice to Lee. Hinata continued, "But that little gourd can coat himself in sand. You'll need to break his sand armor first." Gaara glared fiercely at Hinata, frustrated. How much of his secrets would be exposed? Hinata playfully stuck out her tongue, "Nah nah nah..." Go ahead, try to stop me! Sakura questioned, "How can only taijutsu work? Why doesn't Lee use ninjutsu?" Might Guy, watching Lee, spoke with a hint of pride, "It's not that he won't, but that he can't..." A ninja with chakra who can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu is like a squib in the world of Harry Potter. Yet, the limitations of taijutsu don't mean a taijutsu-oriented ninja can't become powerful. After Guy's explanation, Hinata gravely nodded in agreement, "Guy-sensei is right. Even without ninjutsu or genjutsu, one can become an excellent ninja with just taijutsu!" "Just like me!" Kakashi glanced briefly at Hinata. Though truthful, her words sounded slightly conceited. He called softly, "Hinata!" Startled, she turned to Kakashi, "Huh?" Patting her shoulder, Kakashi asked earnestly, "Have you been, all this time... under a false impression about yourself?" Hinata: "..." Meanwhile, Guy gave Lee a thumbs up, encouraging, "Lee, take them off!" As two weights marked 'Guts' crashed to the ground like cannonballs, Lee's speed dramatically increased, now comparable to Hinata's standard speed. Kiba approached Hinata curiously, "Hinata, how did you guys defeat Gaara back then? I saw he was tied to a tree." Naruto jumped at the chance, boasting loudly about their past battle, exaggerating his role to an absurd degree. Their conversation was loud enough for Temari and Kankuro's faces to darken. That battle was a source of deep embarrassment for them. Especially Kankuro, who looked at Hinata's sweet smile with gritted teeth. Twice now, he'd been bested by her. And discussing tactics out loud... wasn't that essentially coaching Lee openly? Gaara was also annoyed by Naruto's noise. Though being pummeled by Lee, he occasionally glanced over at Naruto. He vividly remembered Naruto's past humiliation. It wasn't one Naruto, but countless copies surrounding him... The battle in the arena continued. Normal punches and kicks couldn't break through Gaara's sand armor, so Lee resorted to his lotus technique, using bandages to bind Gaara and spinning him down to crash him into a crater. Hinata silently worried, pondering how to help Lee defeat Gaara. Hinata's speed was constant, allowing her to fight long battles. Lee, on the other hand, relied on bursts of speed, which left him exhausted quickly. Facing Gaara, a defense specialist, Lee's burst power wasn't enough to breach his guard. Despite her deep contemplation, Hinata found no viable strategy. Unless Lee's raw power surpassed Gaara's, any tactic would struggle to secure victory.