What Is a Top-Tier Carry Player?

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you." Naruto stretched lazily. "By the way, Kurama, do tailed beasts have genders?"

"Why are you asking this?" Kurama glanced sideways at Naruto.

"Just curious."

Kurama usually couldn't be bothered to talk to Naruto, but considering that this human had just been thinking about improving its living conditions, it decided to explain a bit more.

"We are chakra incarnations. Strictly speaking, we don't have genders."

"Then why are you a male fox?"

"I..." Kurama was momentarily speechless and decided to ignore Naruto.

"If that's the case, why don't you transform into a cute fox girl with beast ears?" Naruto's curiosity soared as he proposed a path Kurama had never considered.

"ROAR----!!! GET LOST!"

"Jeez! Kurama's so mean!" Naruto sat up angrily from the moss-covered cool stone steps. "I was just curious, okay? If it doesn't want to transform, it's not like I want to see it anyway!"

"Humph!"

Sighing with slight regret, Naruto stood up and turned his gaze toward the central tower.

"I should go check it out. Even though I'm not participating, I'm still a bit worried. This supplementary exam seems to be a 1v1 combat selection, and the matchups aren't random—they're completely rigged and opaque."

"But since I've withdrawn, those idiotic higher-ups shouldn't pit Hinata against Neji, right?"

"A duel between the genius of the Hyuga branch and the main family's heiress? That's just a one-sided beatdown."

Feeling uneasy, Naruto hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to go inside and check. If something seemed off, he could have Hinata surrender early. There was no point in enduring a fight that was purely one-sided.

With that in mind, Naruto took a step forward when the mechanical synthetic voice in his head rang out again.

"Ding!"

A panel popped up, displaying two options:

[Option 1: Use the Mind Transfer Jutsu (temporarily provided with perfect compatibility by the system) to take over Hinata's body and have her surrender. Reward: 20 Explosive Tags.]

[Option 2: Use the Mind Transfer Jutsu (temporarily provided with perfect compatibility by the system) to take over Hinata's body and defeat Neji. Reward: Kusanagi Sword.]

After reading the options, Naruto instinctively muttered, "There's no way she can win."

"Option 1, no question."

As soon as he spoke, Naruto's body slumped to the ground as though his soul had been extracted, and he began to snore. Since Kurama was residing in his body, he wasn't worried about anyone daring to mess with him.

---

Inside the central tower, Hinata stood nervously after being selected to face Hyuga Neji.

She clutched her hands, palms slick with sweat.

The current match between Kiba and Choji was nearing its end, and her fight against Neji was next. She couldn't help but fear her cold and unapproachable cousin.

Still, she didn't want to give up. She wanted to face the battle with dignity and give it her all.

Suddenly, Hinata felt her body become uncontrollable. As her pupils dilated, an unprecedented sensation spread throughout her being.

"Something's wrong... my body...!"

"Ha..."

Shino, noticing Hinata's unusual behavior, turned to ask, "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine," Hinata replied, raising her head. Naruto's soul shadow perfectly overlaps with her body.

Inside Hinata's mindscape, in a shared space where only the two of them could communicate:

"Naruto-kun? How did you...?" Hinata asked nervously. She realized her body was no longer under her control, with only her eyes and thoughts functioning.

"Don't worry, Hinata," Naruto said soothingly. "This is a mental ninjutsu. I'm temporarily taking over your body."

"Taking over... my body?" Hinata was stunned before realizing what this meant. She cried out, "You pervert! You can't...!"

Indeed, this perfectly compatible Mind Transfer Jutsu was leagues more refined than Ino's version. Naruto could flawlessly control Hinata's body while sharing her consciousness, though a few minor imperfections remained.

"Relax, Hinata," Naruto said with an awkward smile.

"Naruto-kun, you're a pervert!" Hinata mentally hugged herself and crouched down.

But it was useless. Naruto was still in control of her body.

"I'm sorry," Naruto said apologetically. "Please trust me, Hinata. I won't harm you."

"If I let you face the next battle alone, you'll definitely get hurt. I'm only doing this because I don't want to see you injured."

Hearing this, Hinata calmed down a bit. She looked up at Naruto and shyly asked, "Naruto-kun... are you doing this because you're worried about me?"

"Of course!" Naruto replied. "I care about you, Hinata, so please don't be mad at me, okay?"

"I'm not mad at you, Naruto-kun," Hinata said softly, her face flushed.

"Don't worry. I'll use your body responsibly! I promise not to do anything inappropriate!" Naruto assured her seriously. "After the exam, I'll treat you to some barbecue, okay?"

"Okay," Hinata nodded lightly, her face as red as a tomato.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata spoke again.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I know I'm no match for Neji, and I... I can guess what you're planning. You want to surrender on my behalf, right?"

Naruto fell silent.

"I know surrendering is the best choice, but... Naruto-kun, I also want to live by my own ninja way," Hinata said softly. "Sometimes, I want to prove that I'm not someone who always fails at everything."

"I chose the path of a ninja, and training with everyone has been such a joy. I truly cherish being a ninja."

"So... if my wish troubles you, could you return my body to me?"

"Even if I get hurt, I still want to try."

As Naruto remained silent, the battle in the arena concluded, with Kiba defeating Choji.

Hayate Gekkō scanned the stands with his passive, hoarse voice announcing, "Next match: Hyuga Neji versus Hyuga Hinata!"

Seeing that Hinata was about to step onto the field, Naruto took a deep breath and said, "No."

"Huh?" Hinata was stunned. "But..."

"I'll fight for you," Naruto interrupted. "Since you're here, don't worry. I'll do my best."

With that, Naruto controlled Hinata's body and slowly walked into the arena.

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