Naruto: Naruto Hosted by the System

"One more time, Shadow Clone Technique!"

boom!

"Was it successful?"

No, this shadow clone only possesses half of the host's consciousness.

"Again, Shadow Clone Technique!"

This shadow clone possessed twice the amount of Naruto's consciousness, and the two consciousnesses fought inside, completely shattering the shadow clone.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

This time, the shadow clones actually gained their own consciousness and were dissatisfied with Naruto always ordering them around, which frightened Naruto so much that he quickly dispelled the shadow clones.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

"Shadow Clone Technique!!!"

After trying hundreds of times without success, Naruto still had plenty of chakra, but he was exhausted and lay down on the ground to rest.

"System, is this the first time we've ever encountered such difficulty in developing ninjutsu?"

[This type of ninjutsu is indeed quite difficult, and there are few examples of Yin Release ninjutsu. Most ninjutsu related to consciousness are Yin Release, such as the Sharingan which can cast genjutsu, and Yamanaka Ino's Mind Transfer Technique.]

"Then I'll ask them for advice when the time comes."

Thinking about this, Naruto felt a little tired, so he simply closed his eyes.

A while later, Karin happened to arrive here.

Seeing that Naruto was resting, Karin didn't want to disturb him, but she found herself walking over without realizing it.

So this is what Naruto looks like when he sleeps.

She raised her hand, then lowered it, then raised it again, then lowered it again.

In the end, he couldn't resist and wanted to poke Naruto's face.

However, at that moment, Naruto yawned, opened his mouth, and just happened to put Karin's index finger in his mouth.

"Hmm?" Naruto seemed to sense something and woke up.

"It's Karin. What's wrong?" Naruto sat up, rubbed his eyes, and looked like he had just woken up, seemingly unaware of what had just happened.

"N-nothing... Oh right, the final Chunin Exams are about to start, and Jiraiya-sensei said he's going back to Konoha." Karin put her hands behind her back, chuckled, and brushed it off.

"We definitely need to hurry, let's go."

"Okay, coming right away."

So Naruto, who was walking ahead, didn't notice the crystal-clear liquid dripping from Karin's index finger.

Chapter 36 Naruto and the Battleground

This joint Chunin Exam was unprecedented in scale, attracting not only nobles and daimyo from many countries, but also the Hokage and Kazekage, who sat at the highest point to watch the battle, demonstrating the importance attached to it.

The first match is "Naruto Uzumaki VS Neji Hyuga".

However, the referee called out the names of the two players several times, but only Hyuga Neji showed up.

At that moment, Hyuga Neji was resting in the audience, seemingly certain that Naruto wouldn't come.

“Naruto-kun…” In the audience, Hinata held Naruto’s headband, her worry clearly visible on her face.

"Hmph, he's probably scared. In the end, he's just a loser." Neji sneered.

Before Hinata could reply, Ino, standing nearby, said with some displeasure, "Hey, what are you, a defeated opponent of Naruto, acting so arrogantly about?"

Upon hearing the words "defeated opponent," Neji's expression turned ugly. He took a deep breath, and a contemptuous look reappeared on his face.

"I went back and investigated. To put it bluntly, the reason he performed so well before was because he is a fox demon. This exam has many nobles and even people from other countries watching. Would he dare to use that ominous power?"

"Without the fox demon, he is nothing!"

"Naruto-kun is not like that at all!"

Neji was somewhat surprised, because the person who had just fought back against him was actually Hinata, who was usually timid.

"Heh, that's quite surprising. Lady Hinata has actually changed her true nature for an outsider. I wonder what the head of the family would think if he knew."

Hinata's expression changed when her father was mentioned, but she couldn't tolerate anyone insulting her only light like that.

However, just as she was about to speak, a familiar figure slowly descended.

"Hinata, thank you for acknowledging me."

The person who arrived was none other than Naruto!

"Ino, thank you for speaking up for me too."

"Neji, words are useless. We'll see who wins on the field later."

Neji sneered, said nothing, and silently walked onto the field.

Hinata and Ino both looked hesitant and had very complicated expressions.

Naruto was completely unaware of this and put Karin down from his arms.

"Karin, wait here for me for a moment. I'm going to play a match, I'll be right back."

Karin had kept her head down ever since she arrived at the competition venue, looking somewhat guilty, because she could feel Hinata and Ino's murderous gazes.

Here's the thing.

With the exam about to begin and it being his first match, Naruto quickly grabbed Karin and ran towards the arena.

"This is still a bit too slow..."

Naruto muttered something to himself, and after mentally estimating the time, he decisively picked up Karin and ran with her, which was indeed much faster.

Karin exclaimed in surprise, somewhat embarrassed.

She intended to get down and tell Naruto to go first, but she almost fell off by accident and instinctively wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck.

At such close range, Naruto's pleasant body scent wafted into Karin's nose, making her momentarily dizzy and forgetting that she had originally planned to get down.

The two of them arrived at the competition venue just like that.

Hinata had many questions she wanted to ask, but the first thing she did was return Naruto's headband to him.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. You have given me so much warmth during this time. You have changed me. Your smile has saved me. Naruto-kun has always been the driving force that encourages me to move forward."

Hinata's words were loaded with meaning, but the person in question remained oblivious, like a block of wood. Only his companion within him silently recorded this scene.

Naruto took the headband, a flash of green light appearing on his hand, and then placed the headband in Hinata's hand.

He noticed that Hinata's body still seemed somewhat weak. Although he didn't know why, having his chakra by her side would be better.

"You take it first, Hinata. Neji can't hurt my forehead." Naruto smiled confidently.

"...Hmm!" Hinata was a little disappointed that Naruto hadn't noticed her feelings, but when she received the headband and felt its familiar warmth, a smile returned to her face.

Ino, standing to the side, looked at Karin and Hinata with a hint of jealousy.

What? One of them had close contact with Naruto, and the other has a token of their love. Even Sakura, with her wide forehead, is at least in the same class as Naruto. It's just that I joined too late and have nothing...

"By the way, Ino, could you demonstrate the Mind Transfer Technique for me later? I'm currently developing Yin Release ninjutsu."

Naruto's words pulled Ino out of her despair, and for a moment, her eyes seemed to be shining.

"Yes, yes, absolutely!"

Her gaze then fell on the headband in Hinata's hand.

Hinata noticed Ino's gaze and instinctively gripped her hand even tighter.

"However, it's just that..." Ino poked her finger, wanting Naruto to give her a token of their love but too embarrassed to ask.

"Oh, don't worry, I will pay you, and it won't be lower than the market price."

!!!

Reward = Token of Love

The price will not be lower than the market price, which means that his status in Naruto's heart is no lower than that of others.

He has me in his heart!

Ino's face flushed red instantly, and her head seemed to be steaming. At this moment, she was finally able to empathize with Hinata.

"Then hurry up and use the Mind Transfer Jutsu on me." Naruto urged as the referee called his name again.

"Yeah, Naruto-kun is coming."

Ino gave a reminder, then made a heart shape with her hands towards Naruto.

"The Art of Mind Transference!"

Ino's spirit immediately entered Naruto's body.

Hehe, Naruto's body...

Ino couldn't help but have all sorts of thoughts, but once she actually went inside, she felt very strange because she couldn't control Naruto's body, and she couldn't even share her senses. Everything in front of her was pitch black, as if she were in some strange space.

"Okay, thank you, Ino."

Before Ino could figure it out, she found that her spirit had been bounced back to her original body.

"Huh? The Mind Transfer Technique was successfully activated, but it can actually be canceled by the person affected? The feeling just now was also very strange..." Ino murmured in confusion.

"Ah, don't worry, it only applies to me being immune," Naruto said with an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, Ino, for giving me so much inspiration. I'll come find you to pay you back after the Chunin Exams."

Upon hearing Naruto's words, Ino forgot all about why her Mind Transfer Jutsu had failed and started swooning over him again, even coming up with names for her children.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage, before the match even started, Neji taunted, "What? Are you so engrossed in your sweet moments that you can't get out?"

And Naruto—

"System, what does 'gentle haven' mean?"

[It might mean that the host was constantly talking to the girls, which annoyed him.]