Chapter 37: Full Control Of Karin & Start Of The Competition

Time flies, and soon it will be August 1st, the 60th year of Konoha.

In just a few days, the third official exam will begin.

For the past month, Sato has been spending time with Karin.

Even Ino and Hinata haven't had as much alone time together.

After all, Hinata and Sato only have a brief period of time alone after completing a task.

Moreover, due to Hinata's reserved nature, Sato hasn't been able to make significant progress; they have only held hands so far.

With Ino, however, Sato has hugged her, and she doesn't hesitate to throw herself into his arms or rest against his back without any shyness.

But since their relationship hasn't been confirmed yet, they haven't kissed.

During this past month, Sato has focused all his attention on training Karin.

The hard work has yielded amazing results.

Sato soon realized that Karin's obsession with him had reached an intense level, even after just a few days of being together.

Similar to Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke, Karin would occasionally sneak glances at Sato, her cheeks flushed and her expression filled with desire.

Even the slightest bit of kindness from Sato would excite her greatly.

If it weren't for her desire to maintain a ladylike appearance, Sato was certain she would jump and dance with joy.

After two weeks, when Sato asked Karin to help him wash his back during a bath, she became so excited that she started to nosebleed.

This confirmed Sato's belief that Karin no longer needed any training(manipulation).

She had already become infatuated with Sato, unable to live without him and lacking any motivation without his presence.

This discovery surprised Sato.

As long as Karin wasn't being coquettish(flirtatious), even if she transformed into a foolish or perverted person, he found it very endearing.

The more perverted she became, the stronger her feelings for him, and the more he trusted her.

Therefore, Sato spent the next two weeks seducing Karin.

He would take her on sweet dates to keep her excited and thrilled all day, and occasionally assert his dominance to make her more submissive and obedient in his presence.

In less than a month, Karin was tamed by Sato and became incredibly adorable.

Sato had no doubt that Karin would willingly sacrifice herself if asked.

Not only was she willing, but she also found joy in being able to assist Sato.

She resembled Kaguya Kimimaro under Orochimaru's influence.

After completing Karin's "training", Sato fully trusted and relied on her.

Thus, Sato bid a reluctant farewell to Karin once again. He agreed to convince a Jonin to guide her after the Chunin exams and recommend her to the Hokage to join Konoha. Then he returned to the village.

The next time he would visit would likely be when the Third Hokage died, and it would be time for him to begin his plan of devouring the dead.

The only regret was that Tsunade hadn't arrived yet.

Otherwise, Sato could have introduced Karin to Tsunade in advance, saving time for his next visit.

...

The day arrived on August 7th.

This day marked the start of the third official competition of the Chunin exams in Konoha's 60th year.

In the past two days, the streets of Konoha had noticeably become more lively.

Numerous wealthy businessmen, nobles, and commoners from the Land of Fire had traveled miles to witness the ninja competition.

Among the Five Great Ninja Villages, only the Chunin exams' official competition was open to the public.

The Jonin assessment was an all-around evaluation and highly confidential, not open to the public.

Therefore, there were generally only two places where ninja battles could be observed.

One was the illegal underground fighting arenas, where there were underground fights. The opponents mostly consisted of samurai, rogue ninjas, and wanted ninjas.

The second was the official Chunin exams of the five major ninja villages.

Thus, this day of the official competition felt like a holiday.

Sato woke up early and headed to the meeting place for Team 8 to reunite with Hinata and Shino, who had been absent for a month.

"Hinata, it's been a while. Your aura has become stronger," Sato greeted, raising his hand in a friendly gesture.

"Long time... n-o see, Sato," Hinata responded, her voice trembling with nervousness as she still couldn't bring herself to make direct eye contact with Sato.

In truth, her trembling wasn't due to shyness but... excitement.

After not seeing Sato for a month, Hinata's affection for him had grown deeper.

During this month, she endured intense training from her father and constant reminders not to bring shame to the family. Hinata could only find comfort in the brief moments when she bathed or slept.

It was during these times that she often imagined being alone with Sato.

She also reminisced about Sato patiently teaching her medical ninjutsu as a means of distraction.

Especially when they treated an injured fish together, Sato's palm would occasionally brush against her small hand, causing Hinata's lips to curl into a faint smile.

During this month, the shy Hinata confirmed one thing.

She had fallen in love with Sato.

Therefore, even if her competition was with Ino, she wouldn't admit defeat.

Unbeknownst to Sato, Hinata had already affirmed her feelings and was ready to compete with Ino.

If Sato knew, he would feel immense excitement and a sense of accomplishment.

It wasn't easy!

After six years of nurturing, he finally witnessed the most difficult flower bud bloom.

With his focus now on one person, Sato had already embraced the beauty in this world where both men and women mature quickly.

Unfortunately, Sato was a greedy individual.

Faced with his two favorite female characters, he had chosen the most challenging path, taking everything from them.

And now, this much-desired outcome had finally taken a significant step forward.

Next, all he had to do was realize this and increase his efforts.

After exchanging greetings with Hinata and Shino, Sato led them to Konoha Square.

Upon arrival, Sato noticed that the seats in the auditorium were almost full, including the VIP section, where the Third Hokage and Fourth Kazekage had yet to appear.

In the square, the three Gaara siblings and the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were already present.

"Sato, Hinata, Shino, over here!" Ino, as energetic as ever, waved at them from a distance.

Sato responded with a wave of his own and approached Ino along with Hinata and Shino.

"It's been a month, I've missed you, Sato," Ino exclaimed as she disregarded the audience's gaze and threw herself into Sato's arms, expressing her longing.

Witnessing this scene, Hinata felt no jealousy.

Although she had decided to compete with Ino, she had no intention of becoming hostile towards her best friend. Instead, she would engage in fair competition and ultimately grant Sato the freedom to choose.

Regardless of whom Sato ultimately chose, she was prepared to accept it.