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The last two weeks of vacation quickly passed. Wiping the delicate sweat from her fair forehead, little Hinata slowly exhaled, then heavily slammed a rock taller than herself onto the ground. The earth beneath her feet trembled. If such a blow landed on someone's head, it would likely turn their brain into a messy pulp. By now, little Hinata had begun to develop monstrous strength; for an ordinary person... her strength could indeed be called superhuman. It was akin to the power of a wild beast, even greater than that of most ordinary wild beasts!
"Has two months really passed so quickly? Ah... tomorrow is the start of school, and when school starts... there's also, I think, a review exam, isn't there?!" Hinata, holding a pristine white handkerchief, wiped the sweat from her fair forehead. She had endured this level of training for over three months now, long accustomed to it. Although she was so tired every day that she'd collapse onto bed and instantly fall asleep, her growth in strength was remarkably significant. While this referred to her physical prowess, as for Ninjutsu... ahem, the current Hinata, under Liu Chen's tutelage, could be said to be severely specialized. She didn't even know if her basic Three-Body Technique would pass. Not to mention her Chakra reserves. She was probably the student with the least Chakra in the class... However, Chakra is extracted from cells, which means that the stronger the cells, the easier it is to extract Chakra, and the Chakra reserves will be many times greater than ordinary people. So, there was no need to worry about that aspect. It was Ninjutsu that was her greatest weakness, as she hadn't delved into the most basic Three-Body Technique for over three months. She had even almost forgotten the hand seal sequence...
"Forget it, no point thinking too much about it. Today's training isn't finished yet. If I don't complete the training by the appointed time, Guardian Spirit Brother will hit me again... and it's the kind that really hurts." Logically, with Hinata's current physique, even hitting her head with an iron rod would probably cause her little pain. However, Liu Chen only needed to flick her forehead lightly, and Hinata would be in pain for most of the day, her sparkling Byakugan eyes welling up with tears. But then she remembered how Liu Chen's flick had created a hurricane-like air pressure, sweeping Iruka Sensei dozens of meters away and knocking him unconscious... Hinata concluded that it was perfectly normal for Liu Chen's hits to hurt so much.
The intense training continued; Hinata was only halfway through her day's regimen. If she didn't complete the training tasks within the allotted time, she would face a beating. Next... there were 500-catty weighted frog jumps, 30 minutes of underwater breath-holding, 300-catty weighted swimming, meditating under a hundred-meter waterfall, and 600-catty weighted pull-ups. The thought of the devilish training content made Hinata's small face twist into a slight grimace. This feeling was countless times more grueling than cultivating Ninjutsu. She was thoroughly exhausted almost every day after training. Several times, she had simply passed out. This wasn't fainting out of shyness or anything, but from extreme physical and mental depletion.
"This bento tastes good... just a little too much curry." Liu Chen existed in a special form within time, sitting cross-legged on a thick branch of a large tree. He held a store-bought bento box in one hand while observing Hinata's training. Why could he, as a Guardian Spirit, eat? Liu Chen wasn't entirely sure himself... He had only discovered it ten days ago when he, out of curiosity, decided to try. He had always thought that as a Guardian Spirit, he couldn't eat. However, considering that he still possessed his Taijutsu and Devil Fruit abilities, he found it not at all surprising.
A day had a maximum of 24 hours. After accounting for bathing, eating, and sleeping, only twelve hours remained for training. Thus, the day quickly passed. Hinata, as usual, woke up at 5:00 AM for some warm-up exercises. By 6:00 AM, she had her breakfast. Well... it was a very large breakfast. She was already a big eater, but now, after training in Taijutsu with Liu Chen, her appetite had grown even more immense. Eating fifty or sixty bowls of ramen at once was a breeze. It scared the Ichiraku Ramen owner so much that he wondered if Hinata was possessed by a monster. Otherwise, why would a nine-year-old girl eat so much?!
"Ninja Academy... It's been two months already. This year, it's fourth grade." At 6:30 AM, Hinata stood before the Ninja Academy gate, looking up at the four large characters and the Konoha symbol. Her face held a hint of resolve; much of her former frailty had vanished. Her whole demeanor now possessed a unique kind of resilience. Yet, her speaking tone remained gentle, creating a sense of a contradictory combination. Just as she was about to walk in, a cold voice came from behind her: "In the upcoming review exam, I will reclaim first place."
"Huh..." Hinata turned back, a little curious, and saw the class's former top student, Sasuke Uchiha, appear behind her seemingly out of nowhere. She scratched her head and said sheepishly, "Sasuke-kun, although I don't want it to be this way, the teacher also told me to get first place, so I can only apologize."
Sasuke Uchiha: "..." Although the girl named Hinata Hyuga spoke in a very gentle tone, he felt as if he was being underestimated. It was as if she was absolutely certain of getting first place. But recalling the arena battle two months ago, Sasuke Uchiha's expression stiffened slightly. He said stiffly, "I've made great progress these two months. Just you wait, I won't be weaker than a woman."
"..." Watching Sasuke Uchiha walk past her and into the Ninja Academy, Hinata's delicate little face wore a hint of bewilderment. She murmured, "Is this what Guardian Spirit Brother called tsundere? Hmm... Guardian Spirit Brother also said that a male tsundere is disgusting, but a female tsundere is cute..."