"Hinata?"
Kurenai noticed that Hinata was standing there motionless.
Just as she was wondering, she sensed Hinata's low spirits.
She quickly came over and asked, "What's wrong, Hinata? Are you feeling unwell?"
Could it be that I pushed her too hard yesterday and made her sick...?
"What a coincidence, isn't that Feng An?"
Inuzuka Kiba also spotted Feng An and pointed him out.
Then he noticed Feng An talking and laughing with the two cute girls beside him.
"That guy is pretty lucky."
After saying this, Kiba realized he'd spoken carelessly and quickly looked at Hinata.
Seeing Hinata's despondent expression, Inuzuka Kiba felt a pang of guilt.
He clasped his hands behind his head.
Following Kiba's line of sight, Kurenai Yūhi also saw Feng An.
She understood everything in an instant.
Hinata must have seen Feng An with the two girls.
No, if I don't explain, there might be a misunderstanding.
Kurenai knelt down to look at Hinata. "They are Feng An's teammates for the exam."
Hinata nodded.
She had already guessed, but she still felt an inexplicable ache in her heart.
"Shall we go say hello to him?"
Just as Kurenai Yūhi suggested, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru charged over.
"Fang Passing Fang!"
The boy and his dog transformed into two black whirlwinds, sweeping forward.
Feng An heard the commotion and turned.
"Kiba?"
"Shit!"
Fortunately, Feng An reacted in time and leaped onto a rooftop, avoiding Kiba's attack.
A large crater appeared where he had been standing.
Inuzuka Kiba yelled up at Feng An, "Get down here!"
Akamaru: "Woof!"
Seeing him hiding on the roof, Inuzuka Kiba was unable to attack. The high cost of property damage forced him to be rational.
If Kiba is here, is Hinata here too?
The moment he saw Hinata, Feng An smacked his forehead.
I'm doomed. Kiba attacked me in a rage, probably because of a misunderstanding.
Feng An jumped down from the roof, ignored Inuzuka Kiba, and ran toward Hinata.
Yukime and the others had just heard Inuzuka Kiba call Feng An's name.
"Do you know Feng An?" Yukime asked.
Inuzuka Kiba bared his fangs, ready to snarl, but his expression softened when he saw Fubuki.
Although Feng An's behavior made him furious, he had to admit the guy had good taste.
Akamaru: "Woof woof woof!"
Hearing Akamaru's barks, Inuzuka Kiba remembered he was here to avenge Hinata. He quickly shook his head and backed away several meters.
That was close! I almost fell for that woman's... whatever!
On the other side, Hinata saw Feng An rushing toward her and quickly composed herself.
"Feng An..."
Before Hinata could finish, Feng An pulled her into a hug.
"Hinata, you know me."
Hinata blushed, burying her face in his chest.
She said softly, "Yeah, I know."
The resentment in her heart vanished instantly.
Kurenai Yūhi watched them with envy, thinking to herself, If only that blockhead Asuma could be this perceptive.
The two hugged for a moment before separating at Kurenai's light cough.
"Kurenai-sensei must have told you they're my teammates, right?"
Hinata nodded.
"I'll call them over so we can all get to know each other."
Feng An stood beside Hinata, holding her soft hand, and called out to Yukime and the others:
"Yukime, Fubuki, over here!"
The two heard him.
Fubuki leaned close to Yukime's ear; Yukime looked a bit dazed.
"Sister, should we go over?"
Yukime's eyes gradually refocused. "Let's go."
She had already seen how much Feng An cared for that girl from his attitude moments ago.
A bitter feeling welled up inside her.
Just minutes ago, she and Fubuki had been whispering about what kind of girl Feng An might like.
Now it was clear.
Soon, everyone gathered and introduced themselves.
Feng An held Hinata's hand the entire time, never letting go.
He casually mentioned his teammate relationship with Yukime and Fubuki.
The group walked and talked.
Yukime kept glancing at Hinata.
She silently compared herself to her.
After a thorough mental inspection, she knew where she had lost.
Yukime looked down at her own feet, and a wave of bitterness washed over her.
"I bet Hyūga Hinata can't even see her feet when she looks down..."
As her younger sister, Fubuki had noticed her sister's distress during the walk.
She found a random excuse and led Yukime away.
Then, Kurenai Yūhi, Inuzuka Kiba, and the others tactfully found flimsy excuses to leave, giving the two some space.
Though it felt like Feng An and Hinata had been apart for ages, it had been less than twenty-four hours.
The two strolled intimately through the entire commercial street.
Just as they turned into a secluded alley, Feng An heard movement around them—someone was rushing toward them.
In an instant, over a dozen masked men appeared, surrounding Feng An and Hinata, backing them against a wall.
The leader laughed sinisterly. "Finally found you!"
Seeing their hostile intent, Feng An remained calm, holding Hinata's hand and shielding her behind him.
"What do you want with me?"
The leader chuckled darkly. "Haha, of course, to take your life!"
As he retreated behind his men, several masked figures threw shuriken at Feng An.
"Feng An!"
Hinata behind him activated her Byakugan, ready to fight, but noticed Feng An smiling at her.
Then she sensed an immense surge of chakra from Feng An.
Feng An didn't even glance at the incoming shuriken.
He turned swiftly, covering Hinata completely with his body.
While they were talking, he had already begun channeling lightning-nature chakra throughout his cells.
The leader sneered. "Is this idiot kid really going to die for that girl?"
If I'd known the kid was this stupid, I would've come alone.
The bounty isn't that big to begin with, and now it has to be split so many ways.
He'd learned from his employer that the target's strength was around Chunin level, which was why he'd brought so many men. He hadn't expected it to be this easy.
"I need to find a way to cut the others out."
However, as the shuriken struck Feng An, they only tore his clothes.
Countless shuriken left barely a white mark on his skin.
"What's going on?!"
The leader was shocked.
He then roared at his men, his face dark. "Didn't you guys eat?!"
Everyone looked at each other.
They'd used all their strength, enough to suckle fiercely.
For veterans like them, this was a first.
Taking shuriken head-on?
If they hadn't seen the fair skin under his torn clothes, they'd have suspected he was wearing steel plates.
Feng An looked down at Hinata and smiled. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Hinata shook her head. "No."
"Good."
He ruffled Hinata's hair, picked up a shuriken from the ground, and hurled it at one of the men with force.
Then he quickly formed hand signs.
Seeing the lone shuriken flying toward him, the man raised his kunai in disdain.
"Idiot! You think I'm a stationary target?"
He judged Feng An had no combat experience because he'd only thrown one shuriken.
But as the shuriken flew—
"Genjutsu: Darkness Technique!"
The moment Feng An completed the signs, all vision within a five-meter radius was instantly swallowed by darkness.
The man about to deflect the shuriken suddenly found himself blind, his target lost.
His eyes went blank.
Thud—
The shuriken pierced his skull with precision.
With a dull thump, the man knelt on the ground, a look of confusion frozen on his face even in death.
"Now," Feng An's voice cut through the sudden silence, cold and clear. "Who's the idiot?"
*****
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