<div> Chapter 53 - 53
 Hyuga Chinano was baffled by the enemy's self-introduction. Since when was it common for shinobi to reveal their abilities at the start of a fight?
 "Sonic attacks, huh..." Chinano's mind raced, searching for a counter. She swiftly formed a seal and summoned her trusted companion.
 "Momohiko, stop his movements," she commanded.
 A small kōmori panda (red panda) curled into a ball and shot forward like a rolling furball.
 "I already told you, my sound waves can shatter rock! You think a mere summoned beast can stop me?" The young man with lifeless eyes—Sack—grinned, pushing both hands forward as an invisible wave of sound burst forth.
 "Sack, don't be careless," the bandaged man warned, sensing something was off.
 But Sack paid no heed. "Relax, Toss. How could they possibly defend against an attack they can't even see—Nani?!"
 Before he could finish, the rolling panda suddenly expanded.
 Originally the size of two footballs, Momohikos's body swelled dramatically, ballooning to the size of an ōkyū-dama (giant festival ball)—completely absorbing the incoming attack.
 If one looked closely, they'd see that Momohiko itself hadn't truly grown. Instead, its kuroshiro-mō (black-and-white fur) had stretched unnaturally, forming hoso-shimenawa (fine threads) that absorbed and deflected the invisible sound waves. Though much of its fur was sliced away, the main body remained unharmed.
 Meanwhile, Aburame Hatsuizumi faced her own opponent—a long-haired kunoichi wielding senbon (throwing needles) and a small suzu (bell). With a flick of her wrist, the girl rang the bell and launched a volley of senbon.
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 </div> Hatsuizumi, having already analyzed their techniques, was on full alert. She didn't know the bell's exact function, but she wasn't about to take chances. The moment the sound reached her ears, she retreated swiftly, blocking the incoming senbon with a kunai.
 As a counterattack, she unleashed a swarm of kikaichū (parasitic insects) at the enemy kunoichi.
 "Disgusting," the girl muttered, visibly repulsed. The sight of the writhing insects—akin to hiryū-zetsuen (flying leeches)—was enough to make anyone recoil. Without hesitation, she shook the bell once more.
 The effect was immediate. Mid-air, the kikaichū twitched unnaturally, their bodies seemingly convulsing before abruptly ceasing movement. As the bell chimed again, the kunoichi launched another wave of senbon-dan (needle barrage), blasting the immobilized kikaichū apart.
 Hatsuizumi clenched her teeth.
 "It's not over yet!"
 The girl opposite sneered, shaking the bell longer than before.
 Though Hatsuizumi instinctively attempted to block out the sound, she could already feel the effects creeping in. Her vision blurred, and the kunoichi's figure split into multiple shifting zanzō (phantoms). Blood trickled from her ears—proof that the chōonpa-genjutsu (ultrasonic illusion) had taken effect.
 The enemy kunoichi chuckled. "Hehehe... Humans experience membrane rupture at 150 decibels. Damage to the kankyaku-kan (semicircular canals) disrupts balance. My jutsu may not be as powerful as Sack's, but it's enough to take you down."
 Seeing Hatsuizumi staggering, the kunoichi smirked and prepared to strike. She gripped a handful of senbon and hurled them in rapid succession, expecting an easy hit.
 Meanwhile, Sack had recovered from his shock. Though the kōmori panda had caught him off guard, he quickly adjusted. With a sweep of his arms, he unleashed another shōha-ken (air-cutting wave), completely halting Chinano's advance.
 Chinano gritted her teeth. No matter how she tried, she couldn't push forward even a single step. She was completely locked down.
 Watching from a distance, Toss—the bandaged man—frowned. Something wasn't right. Uzumaki Zixu was still sitting calmly, making no move to intervene. Did he truly not care if his teammates lost?
 "Oi, your comrades are on the verge of defeat. Are you not going to help? Or do you plan to fight me instead?" Toss asked, cautiously approaching.
 Zixu, still seated, yawned. "Huh? When did you get the idea that they were losing?"
 Toss blinked. "What?!"
 Snapping his head around, he looked toward Sack's fight with Chinano. Something was off.
 "Wait... Where is she?"
 The "Chinano" Sack had been attacking all this time wasn't real. It was...
 "A tree?!"
 Sack's expression froze. He had been chopping down a tree this whole time.
 Behind him, the real Chinano materialized—her hand transformed into a te-gatana (hand blade).
 Shit!
 Meanwhile, Toss turned toward Hatsuizumi. At first, he thought she was struggling, but upon closer inspection, a cold chill ran down his spine.
 She was smiling.
 Beneath the glint of her glasses, an unsettling light flickered. It was a perfect trap—she had led the kunoichi into an illusion of her own making.
 Toss tried to shout a warning, but—
 Nothing.
 No sound escaped his lips. It was as if all noise had been erased from existence.
 He activated the chōon-kyōmei (sonic resonance) device in his hand, but there was no response. No sound waves. No vibrations.
 At that moment—
 PAH!
 Chinano struck Sack's tenketsu (chakra point), knocking him unconscious. His face remained frozen in shock.
 It turned out she had never actually been on the defensive. From the very start, she had used a kage bunshin (shadow clone) to mislead Sack while casting an mizu-maboroshi (water-based illusion) using the scattered droplets from her earlier Suiton technique. The mist had been a perfect medium to amplify genjutsu, causing Sack to believe he was still fighting her.
 Hatsuizumi, on the other hand, had played an even deeper game. While her kikaichū had appeared to be wiped out by the enemy's sonic attack, a select few had actually burrowed into the exploding leeches. When they scattered, they infiltrated the kunoichi's body unnoticed.
 Now, they emerged in full force.
 PFFFT—
 The kunoichi coughed up blood as the kikaichū ravaged her chakra reserves. These specialized insects drained energy rapidly, dying after absorbing a certain threshold, making the stolen chakra nearly impossible to reclaim.
 However, what devastated her the most was not the chakra loss.
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 </div> It was her hair.
 The kikaichū had devoured her waist-length black hair, leaving her with only shoulder-length strands.
 "No... NOOO!" She screamed in horror.
 Hatsuizumi smirked, straddling the downed kunoichi. "Hand over your scroll."
 Seeing no way out, the kunoichi weakly pointed at Toss.
 "He... He has it..."
 Hatsuizumi scoffed, pushing herself off her opponent. She glanced at Sack's unconscious form and strolled toward Toss.
 "You... Stay back!" Toss stammered, eyes wide in fear.
 In desperation, he hurled the heihō-maki (scroll case) away.
 Aburame Hatsuizumi's attention was immediately drawn to the scroll Toss had thrown, ignoring the subtle movements he made. Hyuga Chinano noticed them but didn't point them out—this was their fight, and she was just a spectator.
 "Puff—"
 A thick green smoke erupted from the impact, carrying an overwhelmingly foul stench. Chinano's eyes stung, and she reflexively covered her nose before grabbing the scroll and escaping the poisonous cloud's range.
 Hatsuizumi cursed under her breath. She had thought she had already secured victory, paying little mind to Toss's tricks. Who would've expected the gas bomb's stench to be this unbearable?
 Tears welled in her eyes as she bolted away, gagging. Meanwhile, the Sound Ninja wasted no time, hauling his two unconscious teammates on his shoulders and retreating at a speed even faster than sound itself.
 "Ugh... What the hell is this? It reeks...!" Hatsuizumi staggered a good distance away before collapsing onto the ground, dry-heaving. Chinano wasn't faring much better, her face twisted in discomfort.
 "You guys didn't let me interfere, so you can't blame me for this," Uzumaki said with a shrug.
 "Yeah, yeah, we're not blaming you," Chinano grumbled through clenched teeth, still suppressing the urge to vomit.
 Hatsuizumi took a deep breath and forced a grin, tossing the scrolls between her hands. "Now that we have all three scrolls, we just need to hold onto them until the end of the exam. If we play it safe, we're guaranteed to pass."
 Chinano, still recovering from the gas, narrowed her eyes. "Now that we have time, can you finally explain everything properly? There's no one around to overhear us."
 She had been holding back her curiosity, but after witnessing Uzumaki's sheer strength, her patience had run out. He wasn't just strong—he was at a level that rivaled the strongest warriors they'd encountered. She needed to hear his explanation.
 Uzumaki scanned the surroundings. It was quiet, and while there might be others hiding nearby, there were far fewer spies than in the village.
 "Alright, but once I tell you, we'll be tied to the same fate."
 "Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and spill it!" Hatsuizumi interrupted impatiently, practically vibrating with anticipation. She looked ready to shake Uzumaki by the shoulders.
 With a snap of his fingers, Uzumaki activated "Onkyō Kabe" (Soundproof Barrier)—a translucent energy dome expanded outward, enclosing the three of them. Outside the barrier, their words became completely inaudible.
 "Alright, here's the truth... I'm a rare Taijutsu prodigy with exceptional physical abilities. But here's the kicker—I only realized it when I was at the Ninja Academy. Sometimes, after a good night's sleep, I wake up stronger."
 Chinano arched an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "You expect me to believe you can get stronger just by sleeping?"
 "It's true, and there's more. I might have a unique body type that naturally absorbs energy. Once, when I was resting, I suddenly absorbed some strange force, and my perception of the world around me sharpened dramatically..."
 If Uzumaki had said this in front of the Three Great Sages, they would've beaten him senseless. His talent in Taijutsu was unquestionable, but calling his Sage Art training "natural talent" was borderline blasphemous.
 "Objection!" Hatsuizumi raised her hand dramatically, only for Uzumaki to shut her down.
 "Objections are pointless. Now listen—this is the important part."
 "You remember that mission with the wandering samurai? That's when I discovered my affinity for staff combat. Using a staff felt completely natural, almost like an extension of my body. When I infused it with Raiton (Lightning Chakra), my attacks became fluid and effortless. But that's not the real reason I brought this up."
 Uzumaki paused before fixing Chinano with a serious gaze.
 "I've found a way to suppress the 'Caged Bird' seal."
 Chinano's breath caught. The words hit her like a thunderclap. She had never allowed herself to hope for such a thing. Countless members of the Hyuga Branch Family had sought freedom from the seal, and all had failed—either dying in rebellion or being forced into obedience.
 Could it really be possible?
 Uzumaki understood her hesitation. He knew that raising false hope would be crueler than never offering any in the first place. Without another word, he walked up to her, brushing aside her hair before gently pressing his hand to her forehead.
 "This seal is a nuisance." He frowned as he felt a sharp resistance against his palm. With his free hand, he undid the forehead protector, fully exposing the curse mark.
 Golden chains materialized around Uzumaki, swirling in the air before gently wrapping around Chinano.
 "Oi, oi, what kind of technique is this?" Hatsuizumi's face scrunched in confusion. "You're supposed to suppress the seal, not... whatever this is."
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 </div> "You wouldn't understand. Just keep watch and play bodyguard," Uzumaki shot back. "Chinano, focus on the sensation."
 A surge of "Seizon no Seiryoku" (Force of Silence) radiated from Uzumaki's palms, merging with his "Kongō Fūin" (Adamantine Seal). It was a technique he had pieced together after conversing with Orochimaru, though the knowledge had come at a price.
 Chinano's body trembled at the initial contact, but as she focused, she felt an overwhelming sense of tranquility. The energy was as crisp as fresh spring water and as warm as sunlight in winter. For the first time, her mind was at ease.
 Slowly, she drifted into sleep, her consciousness floating into an abyss of serenity. The once-oppressive seal on her forehead dimmed, leaving behind faint golden markings.
 Uzumaki carefully moved her to rest against a tree. Hatsuizumi, ever the curious one, crouched beside her, poking her cheek experimentally. When she didn't stir, he whistled.
 "Damn, she's out like a light. What kind of move is this? If I ever get insomnia, can you knock me out too?"
 "Shut up and just sleep more. If you sleep more, you won't have insomnia."
 "Huh?" Hatsuizumi frowned. Something about that statement felt off, but after thinking about it... it actually made sense.
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Chapter 53

Chapter 53 - 53 Hyuga Chinano was baffled by the enemy's self-introduction. Since when was it common for shinobi to reveal their abilities at the start of a fight? "Sonic attacks, huh..." Chinano's mind raced, searching for a counter. She swiftly formed a seal and summoned her trusted companion. "Momohiko, stop his movements," she commanded. A small kōmori panda (red panda) curled into a ball and shot forward like a rolling furball. "I already told you, my sound waves can shatter rock! You...

Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template

Chapter 53

Naruto: Unlocking Kaido Template - Chapter 53