Chapter 91: I'm Off to Gather Intelligence - The White Eyed Princess of Konoha

**Chapter 91: I'm Off to Gather Intelligence** Many who understood the immense might of Nine-Tails were utterly bewildered at this moment. What just happened? Nine-Tails got pushed back? The Third Hokage, Orochimaru disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, and Jiraiya, who was hidden watching Naruto's battle, all possessed keen observation skills. Naturally, they could tell that Hinata’s move wasn't any kind of sealing technique. It was simply the most basic and straightforward Gentle Fist acupoint technique. Just where exactly did Hinata strike, that she could manage to send Nine-Tails back with just a single touch? Did she target Nine-Tails through the Eight Trigrams Seal? Over twelve years, the Eight Trigrams Seal left by Minato Namikaze had shown signs of weakening. Since the incident in the Land of Waves, it wasn't the first time Nine-Tails' chakra had emerged within Naruto, with the seal's flaws growing increasingly pronounced. If Hinata had truly followed the trail of Nine-Tails' chakra and discovered a weak point in the Eight Trigrams Seal, thus managing to strike at the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, then that would explain everything. Explain, my foot! (□′)┻━┻ What kind of ninjutsu can send Nine-Tails retreating in a single move? They couldn't quite understand it yet! But now, at least two things could be confirmed. First, Hinata's Byakugan was at an extraordinarily high level; second, Hinata seemed to have mastered a technique specifically against Jinchuuriki. Orochimaru trembled with excitement, unabashed by the Third Hokage sitting next to him, extending his tongue to lick in a circle unconsciously. Truly a perfect experiment material! Coincidentally, Hinata also looked up towards the spectators' area and noticed Orochimaru sticking out his tongue. Hinata poked out her small tongue: “Bleh!” Since mastering Sage Art, Hinata had become quite audacious. Just a few days ago, she had beaten Hiashi Hyuga, and today she tackled Nine-Tails; a mere Orochimaru, soon to have both hands sealed by the Third, was nothing... Come and face me directly if you dare! Orochimaru: Oh! Did she notice me again? Orochimaru was growing increasingly intrigued by Hinata. The ones you can't have are always the most enticing. Hinata's Byakugan seemed to possess insight beyond that of a typical Byakugan, her innate talent was exceedingly strong, and she had mastered a unique technique to directly attack the Tailed Beast within a Jinchuuriki. In that instant, the majestic Hinata garnered the attention of the three major shadow-level experts of Konoha. What the Third Hokage thought wasn't a concern—he wouldn’t survive the day anyway. Jiraiya, however, took a particular interest in Hinata, primarily because of her potentially... ahem! highly promising talent. If Hinata truly possessed the power to suppress a Tailed Beast, he could potentially help Naruto master the Nine-Tails’ power faster. If Nine-Tails dared to rebel, Hinata could simply scare it into submission. The key point is, ever since Fukasaku and Shima from Mount Myoboku saw Hinata, there seemed to have been quite a stir back at the mountain. What exactly happened, no one had informed Jiraiya, but he was evidently aware that Hinata seemed to be far from ordinary. …… The overflow of Nine-Tails’ chakra not only healed Naruto’s injuries but also unblocked his internal sealed acupoints. This meant that, at this moment, Naruto was once again fully recovered! Clutching his stomach and groaning for a bit, Naruto forced himself to stand up, seemingly unscathed. Hinata was dumbfounded! Is nobody overseeing these cheats? Naruto chuckled, “It’s not over yet! Hinata, let's continue!” Hinata: “……” Naruto performed hand seals and shouted, “Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!” Hinata: “……” After dealing with wave upon wave of shadow clones, Hinata finally found the real Naruto and KO’d him with a single move—Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms! Overall, the battle didn’t even last five minutes. Initially, Hinata KO’d Naruto with Sixty-Four Palms; then Naruto unleashed Nine-Tails, only to be sent back by Hinata with a single strike; then Naruto was fully revived and received a stylish beating from Hinata. Throughout the battle, Hinata didn’t even get her clothes dirty. But why did it feel so tiring? Heart-tired! And although Naruto was beaten rather miserably, his face was full of smiles. At last, it wasn't such a sour defeat. “I’ve finally... gotten stronger!” After reviewing Naruto's condition, Shiranui Genma announced, “The winner of the first match is... Hinata Hyuga!” Hinata walked over to pull Naruto up, concerned, “Can you walk on your own?” Naruto seemed to have realized something, and suddenly turned all weak and floppy, saying feebly, “Can’t walk... not a bit of energy left... Hinata, please help me, hehe!” 'Smack!' This time, it was a fist to the face! Pushing one's luck! Hinata strolled ahead with a light, unperturbed demeanor, while Naruto followed behind with a bruised face, not daring to utter a sound. Upon reaching the spectator area, Sakura and Ino turned their heads simultaneously. “Congratulations, Hinata!” Hinata blushed slightly, fidgeting with her fingers, “I was just lucky! If it had been someone else instead of Naruto, maybe I would’ve lost.” Naruto pulled a long face, a faint pain still lingering in his kidney area. And honestly, nobody believed that statement anymore. Not even the Sand Village folk! Who exactly are you trying to fool? Are you fooling yourself? But Hinata wasn’t pondering over these matters at the moment. Rather, she was thinking about how she could make the 'Konoha Crush Plan' intelligence source appear reasonable and lawful and persuade Hiashi Hyuga smoothly. If the matches follow the usual sequence, if Shikamaru forfeits, then my next opponent is Temari! I'm so weak, if I head over to Sand Village and gather some intel about Gaara, it probably wouldn't draw much attention, right? Thinking of this, Hinata twisted shyly, saying, “Um, I want to go collect some intel from the Sand side, is there anyone willing to go with me?” “I’m too scared to go alone!” Everyone: “……” Hinata's eyes reflected sorrow, biting her lower lip, looking dejected, “Since none of you are willing to accompany me, I guess I'll have to go by myself... If I end up getting beaten to death by the Sand people, please don't avenge me...” Ino stood up with a sigh, “I'll go with you!” Glancing at Shikamaru and Temari already descending to the arena, Ino expressed her concerns, “While it's a bit late for gathering intelligence now, we could still get some insight into Shikamaru’s chances, and there's Sasuke's opponent... quite worrying as well.” Sakura rose too, saying, “I’ll join as well!” Hinata grabbed Sakura and Ino’s hands, beaming, “I knew you both were the best!” The Sand’s people were located in another lounge room, presently consisting of Gaara, Kankuro, and Konoha’s Shino Aburame. Yet, Kankuro and Gaara seemed oblivious to Shino altogether... Kankuro looked at Gaara with a tinge of worry and advised, “Gaara, the plan hasn’t started yet, hang on a little longer!” Shino: Plan?