"Whoosh!"

A clean cut was made on the tree where Hinata was. I saw the tree start to topple, and Hinata grabbed the hanging quivers and jumped to another tree.

"Whoosh!"

But before she could grab the bow and arrow from her shoulder, I created a wind scythe and horizontally threw it at the tree she was on; forcing her to flee again as the tree was cut and began to topple.

"Bang! Bang!"

Simultaneous sounds echoed as the trees fell to the ground.

Our confrontation continued. Instead of being like a cat cornering a mouse, it was more like the fight between two cats, one chasing the other without either losing the advantage completely.

Several minutes later, I saw Hinata panting.

━━━━

[Hokage's Office]

"It's coming to an end," Asuma commented.

Kurenai nodded, saying, "Yes, and Aizen will be the winner."

Well, at this point, it was clear who would win. Hinata's chances of winning were clearly very low. Only a miracle would make her able to win, considering that so far Aizen still had the same gentle smile, not even looking tired, while Hinata was already panting, probably with her chakra reserves almost depleted.

"I just feel like this little guy from the Kurama Clan is a little monster..." Saying that, the dark-haired Jonin sighed.

"His chakra reserve, as well as his physique, is indeed something out of his league," the Hokage said as he looked at the crystal ball. "His potential is at a very high level, making me have high expectations for his growth after graduating."

"Yeah, yeah, he's not even a genin yet..."

When this point was raised by one of the Jonin, they all sighed in amazement.

━━━━

I had my last quiver, my remaining arrows almost gone, I felt my chakra reserve dwindling.

Putting the bow hanging on my shoulder, I used 'Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms' to create my domain. The moment Aizen stepped into my domain, I was already in front of him, attacking with the palm of my hand. However, to my surprise, I saw him smile.

"Bang!"

Our hands made contact, and I received the impact as I confronted his punch. I kept attacking, but he counterattacked with a punch, striking the palm of my hand with his hand surrounded by the Wind Style.

"You lost," he told me with his eyes closed, smiling gently with his lips slightly raised.

Upon seeing that, as he said this, he was waving a paper doll, I noticed with my Byakugan, which had a little blood on it. Looking at the palm of my hand, I saw that a small cut had been made.

"Is this your Shikigami, right?" I asked rhetorically, stopping fighting.

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━━━━

Listening to her question, Aizen's smile deepened, "Yes, you're right."

"I understand," Hinata sighed. "I knew I couldn't confront you head-on, but even with my chakra-infused hand, your Wind Style still managed to injure it... It's my loss."

The admission, or even the way she acted, was quite mature of her.

Snapping out of her reverie, Iruka shouted, "Aizen Kurama wins!"

When the rest heard this, not knowing what Hinata knew, they were confused by her admission of defeat. They knew how stubborn she could be, so what led her to accept her defeat when it didn't seem like she had lost?

"Why did she give up upon seeing that piece of paper with a little of her blood?" Naruto was the most confused among them.

"Idiot," Sasuke said, sharply.

"What did you say, you bastard? Say it again!" Naruto yelled, and Sasuke just scoffed in disdain.

"Dammit..." Naruto became even more enraged.

"Calm, calm," Shikamaru intervened and added, looking at Naruto, "Naruto, the reason Hinata gave up must be related to some knowledge she has about Aizen." He continued, "And it must be something that made her realize she was completely defeated; which makes me think of his clan's special lineage."

"What are you trying to say, Shikamaru?" Naruto scratched his head, still very confused.

Shikamaru clicked his tongue and lazily explained, "Aizen comes from the Kurama Clan, and although this was a long time ago; his clan is mainly famous for being able to create Real Illusions. And, remember the rumor about him being able to use real illusions?"

Naruto nodded.

He concluded, "If my guess is correct, that piece of paper that Hinata called Shikigami is the means he uses to be able to use real illusion."

Although he wasn't very close, Aizen seemed to have overheard their conversation and, hearing Shikamaru's analysis, he was surprised, but then smiled again.

"Shikamaru is right," Aizen said.

It was a simple response, but it caused a stir.

"Unbelievable!"

"So it's really possible to create a real illusion?"

"So... Aizen, are you really capable of that?" Kiba asked, with a shocked and fearful face.

How to find courage in this? Real illusion was unlike common genjutsu; it wasn't something that could be simply broken, and who knows how powerful it could be...

"Although I am capable, I need to make some preparations before using it," Aizen explained gently. "You see, I call this Shikigami." He picked up several white paper dolls and continued, "This is something I created, infused with my powers. But, to work against my opponent, I need their blood, and when I obtain it... Life and death will be under my control."

"How is he able to say something so sinister with a gentle smile..." Naruto shuddered.

Although it's not simple to obtain someone's blood, requiring a confrontation, if he is able to obtain it, then, doesn't that mean it's 'game over'?

Seeing that several of them even took a step back as their expressions became filled with fear, Aizen seemed not to see or care.

With the same gentle smile, he said, "There's no need to be afraid. I would never use this against my friends. Even what I used against Hinata is a weakened version, incapable of causing fatal harm. And, aren't we all friends and fellow ninja who will protect our village in the future?"

Aizen's words revived memories of the time they spent with him. Yes, he was right, each of them was a close friend of his and, the fact that he explained all this without hiding anything from them demonstrates how much he trusts them.

Somehow, their hearts warmed with the trust he imparted to them. After all, he didn't need to explain this to them, but even without needing to, he explained, showing how much he cares about them.

Furthermore, each of them was close enough even to take him home, and even their parents adore him.

Iruka, seeing this happen, didn't know what was wrong, but he felt something was wrong there. However, he had to admit that Aizen's words moved him too. After all, if he said this in front of him, it means that Aizen also trusted him as a teacher, doesn't it?

What they didn't know was that Aizen wasn't being completely honest... What he said was indeed real, however, he 'forgot' to add that even a simple strand of his opponent's hair is able to give him control over their life and death...

"Wow!"

Now, they reacted more positively again as they exclaimed and congratulated Aizen and Hinata.

"You two were amazing!"

"Yes, I can't even believe we're the same age..."

"Wow, just, wow!"

"Hinata, you're phenomenal!"

Meanwhile, unlike the somewhat festive atmosphere, in the Hokage's office, the conversation and atmosphere were quite heavy...

━━━━

Chapter 37 is already released on Patreon!

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