That slap undoubtedly made Naruto's body tremble slightly.
In terms of force, the slap had almost no power. Compared to Hinata's usual punches that could lift Naruto four or five meters off the ground, this slap was almost like a caress.
However, the meaning of a slap and a punch are clearly incomparable.
No matter how hard a punch was, it couldn't hurt Naruto's heart, because it symbolized a proper fight or interaction, representing recognition and acceptance.
A slap, on the other hand, was a gesture of disappointment and rejection, like the gazes and insults that surrounded Naruto when he was a child.
"I'm sorry... please forgive me!"
Kneeling on both knees, Naruto slammed his forehead heavily into the mud in front of him. This dogeza posture vividly displayed the blonde boy's inner remorse.
Yes, this was the first time Naruto had apologized to anyone.
When he was little, no matter how much the people around him bullied him, he never apologized. Because, even with his outwardly boisterous personality, Naruto also harbored an inner sense of resentment. He didn't believe he was wrong, so he wouldn't apologize to anyone around him, even when caught pranking.
Because I haven't done anything wrong... I just want people to notice me.
It was this thought that prevented Naruto from ever saying "I'm sorry" to anyone.
But today, Naruto felt an indescribable remorse. He knew Hinata was disappointed in him. As the a member of the Nanto: Three Holy Fists, one of the earliest members of Hinata's team, and even one of Hinata's classmates, he was proud of this identity. Even if he didn't say it aloud, he could sense the feeling of being looked up to because of his status.
Yet, he had disappointed Hinata due to his carelessness and overconfidence.
Moreover, his absence had led to Sasuke being severely wounded here.
Such remorse came from the depths of Naruto's heart, making him willing to kneel and apologize without any hesitation or delay.
Hinata silently watched Naruto before her. She wasn't surprised, but her anger couldn't be easily dispelled. If one considered their overall strength, the three members of Team 7 were undoubtedly the strongest ninjas in Hinata's group.
However, not to mention Hinata herself handling two Sound ninjas alone, Sasuke also successfully injured Orochimaru. Only Naruto was trapped by the enemy like a pig for most of the day, unable to even help Kiba. If Orochimaru hadn't specifically ordered not to kill Hinata's team members this time, Kiba would probably have been severely wounded or even killed by Sakon during the confrontation.
All of this was due to Naruto's mistake.
The other members quietly watched Naruto's apology. They also understood how serious Naruto's recklessness and carelessness were in causing a loss of team combat power.
This was different from Shikamaru's mistake. Shikamaru had tried his best, but was forcefully outmaneuvered by the enemy's immense strength. Naruto, however, due to his own recklessness, fell into the enemy's restrictive ninjutsu for nothing, thereby wasting his own strength.
"I won't say more about the consequences of your foolishness. I trust you are self-aware. Now that all the scrolls have been collected, take Sasuke, and we will head towards the Forest of Death Tower."
Turning around, Hinata didn't accept Naruto's apology. She knew well that verbal apologies were useless; it was the apologizer's future actions that truly mattered.
So, now that Orochimaru's boss battle was over, Karin had been successfully captured, and the scrolls were collected, there was no reason to stay in this foul-smelling forest any longer.
The subsequent journey was undoubtedly somber. Choji, carrying Sasuke, was surrounded by the others, who remained vigilant as they moved forward. Because this reinforced group was quite formidable, any hostile ninjas they encountered wisely kept their distance.
As for mindless beasts, they undoubtedly became extra grilled meat for Hinata's team along the way.
Sasuke's condition was also quite worrying. He should have quickly revived after integrating the curse mark, but this time seemed different. It was as if the curse mark's power was slow to merge with Sasuke's chakra, causing the black-haired boy to remain unconscious for a day and a night of travel, with an alarmingly high body temperature.
Upon careful thought, Hinata understood. The curse mark, as an invasive special chakra, had to integrate with the host's own chakra to be effective. However, as an external substance, the curse mark's integration would inevitably be resisted by the host's chakra.
In the original story, Sasuke's strength was far less than his current strength, so the curse mark's chakra quickly integrated, leading to the Level 1 state. But now, Sasuke's strength had greatly increased, and the resistance encountered by the curse mark was stronger, causing the integration to be delayed.
Furthermore, Choji's various secret medicines, provided throughout the journey, were given to Sasuke to replenish chakra and stamina, causing Sasuke's physical condition to continuously recover, which made this tug-of-war even longer.
However, it was certain that Sasuke's strength would undoubtedly experience a small leap. The curse mark's chakra fighting against his own chakra was a form of indirect training and enhancement.
This period was originally very dangerous because it would heavily deplete stored nutrients and energy. A slight misstep could even lead to physical exhaustion and death.
But thanks to Choji's Akimichi secret medicines, Sasuke's body cells were continuously replenished, absorbing energy and nutrients greatly, which was equivalent to rapid internal growth.
Although the curse mark would definitely complete its integration in the end, its slow integration speed would inevitably lead to a more perfect fusion with Sasuke's body, and the power it unleashed would be even greater. At the very least, it was unlikely that he would experience the pain that rendered him immobile or interfered with his chakra activity, as in the original story.
Therefore, there was no need to worry about Sasuke.
Although Hinata had to maintain a poker face to accommodate those around her who didn't know the plot, she had grown used to it.
Naruto's demeanor was undoubtedly a bit dejected. Due to Hinata's authority, the other members of Hinata's group found it difficult to comfort him. So, for the past few days, Naruto had undoubtedly felt like he was back in the environment where he was scorned by everyone when he was a child. But the blonde boy clearly knew this was his punishment, so he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.
He knew he needed to make up for this mistake with his actions in the future.
Shikamaru and the others had also undoubtedly become much calmer. After this incident, the pineapple-headed boy had clearly realized the shortcomings of his strategies. Moreover, he had grasped a deeper truth: if he couldn't perform his best, the price paid might not only be his own; those who trusted him and followed his commands would be the first to pay the price.
This kind of mental pressure also made Shikamaru's state very tense. The others were the same; at least Choji had been eating fewer potato chips recently, and his usual single-minded focus on food had greatly diminished.
He probably understood that he was now in battle, not on vacation.
.
Shino and Kiba showed the best aptitude, understanding that this was a battle, not a stroll. But the greatest progress came from Sakura and Ino; their conversations were finally devoid of talk about cosmetics and new clothes, replaced instead by practical discussions of vigilance and jutsu sparring.
In short, these young kids finally recognized their true roles as ninjas.
Overall, it was very rewarding.
This kind of change was far better than future casualties, making Sasuke's accidental injury well worth it.
After confirming these changes, Hinata, though she said nothing, was inwardly quite satisfied. This Chunin Exam had proven valuable.
A day and a night of travel passed quickly. Upon reaching the central tower, everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. According to the exam rules, the central tower was a safe zone, and arriving there meant they could officially put aside the terrifying assassinations and battles for a while.
"According to the hints on the wall, we should open the Heaven and Earth scrolls together. Everyone, prepare."
Upon entering the tower, they discovered hints on the wall. Subsequently, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Shino, as the respective leaders, opened their pairs of scrolls. Just as in the original story, as the summoning arrays on the scrolls activated, three figures appeared before the nine genin.
"Hi~ Congratulations everyone on passing the second exam~!"
The figures were three chunin. Two of them were unfamiliar, but the lead chunin was none other than Iruka Umino, Naruto's ninja academy teacher.
"Iruka-sensei? Why are you here?"
Naruto, who had been given the cold shoulder for two days, finally couldn't help but shout first. Iruka looked at his students with satisfaction, his tone filled with undeniable pride: "It's my job, you know, to welcome the qualifiers who reach this point... Uh? What happened to Sasuke?"
At this point, Iruka finally noticed Sasuke, who was being carried by Choji, and his expression tensed. Although his bond with Naruto was the deepest, all of them were his students, and their camaraderie remained strong.
"He was struck by a strange cursed seal on his neck by a guy who claimed to be Orochimaru. He hasn't woken up yet. In any case, please contact a medical ninja first, Sensei."
Hinata answered Iruka's question, and her words caused Iruka to put aside any thoughts of casual conversation. He nodded gravely: "I understand. Wait here; I'll go get a medical ninja right away!"
After Iruka left, Hinata's heart suddenly stirred, and she spoke to one of the nearby reception chunin: "I need to go to the restroom. Please lead the way."
"Yes, Miss Hinata, please follow me."
The female chunin responsible for reception nodded and led Hinata away from the others. After entering a secret door and turning through several complex corridors, Hinata finally arrived in a dimly lit room. Inside, Danzo, seated in a chair, had clearly been waiting for some time.
"Tell me, who exactly is this 'Orochimaru'? Why did he and his subordinates attack us in the Forest of Death? Did you order it?"
Hinata sat down in a chair next to Danzo without any weakness, masking her tone with a sense of impatient irritability. Danzo, seated there, was completely unmoved by her tone and spoke with his usual coldness.
"You've misunderstood. Orochimaru has nothing to do with me. If anything, he's the Third Hokage's direct disciple. Sasuke won't die; you can rest assured of that."
This answer made Hinata raise an eyebrow slightly. The Byakugan girl impatiently tapped her chair armrest with her finger: "So, why did you call me here?"
"I was just about to tell you."
Danzo looked up, his sinister gaze falling on Hinata, his tone filled with an inscrutable feeling.
"It's about the Fifth Hokage candidate."