"Cough, cough." Hayate Gekko coughed twice as he entered the arena. Naruto couldn't tell if he was clearing his throat or genuinely coughing.
"I am the proctor for this exam, Hayate Gekko. Next will be the preliminary rounds for the third stage of the Chunin Exams, cough cough... It will be a one-on-one tournament..."
Gekko explained amidst coughs that since the third exam would be attended by important figures from various countries, and time was limited with too many participants, they needed to eliminate some, hence the preliminary rounds. Only those who passed would participate in the main event.
"If any participants are unwell or have other reasons for not wanting to compete, you may withdraw now. As this is an individual competition, withdrawing at this point will not affect your teammates, cough, cough, cough..."
The examinees mentally retorted, Aren't you the one who's unwell and should withdraw?
Naruto looked at Gekko's pale face and weak voice, inwardly despising his old man. The guy's sick like this, and you can't give him a break to rest, making him work overtime?
Then he realized, That guy's girlfriend is so beautiful, giving him a break might make him even worse. Overtime is rest. Dad is far-sighted, I can't compare.
"Since no one is withdrawing, the preliminary rounds for the third exam will now begin.
One of the 21 people will get a bye, cough. The fighters for each match will be randomly selected by that screen."
As his voice fell, the screen on the side began to scroll, eventually stopping.
[Uzumaki Naruto vs Hinata Hyuga]
Hinata: ?
Naruto: !!!
Naruto felt the malice of the world. When watching anime before, he always thought that the Chunin Exams' broken matching mechanism, though said to be random, definitely had some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
And today, Naruto finally believed that it was random.
If there really was some behind-the-scenes manipulation, Dad wouldn't dare to play like this. Do you believe Mom won't make you kneel on a washboard when you get back?
Naruto turned to look at Hinata. Great, the cross-dressing incident with the Shadow Clone in the Death Forest just passed, and now the main body has to face another domestic violence. This life is unlivable.
"Pfft." Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Told you two to show off your love every day, now it's good, show it off, show it off as much as you can."
Sasuke also curved the corners of his mouth. "Told you to practice with her usually, not with me, now you two go practice properly."
Even the great fox in the Sealing Space propped up his chin with his front paws, lying on the ground watching with interest.
"Go, Hinata!" Kiba, this single dog, was carefree. He knew Hinata had no chance of winning, but that didn't stop him from cheering for Hinata.
Akamaru: "Woof!"
Naruto didn't know what Akamaru was saying, and he wasn't in the mood to think about it now.
Hayate Gekko looked at the screen and said, "The two combatants stay, the others retreat to the spectator area."
Sakura even temporarily abandoned her past grudges with Ino, chatting about Naruto and Hinata's gossip, occasionally letting out auntie-like laughter.
Then, all the Konoha examinees in the stands knew that the match below was between the young couple, and they all leaned on the railings to watch the fun. Only Neji was not very happy, feeling that his sister was about to be snatched away.
When the examinees from other villages saw that the Konoha examinees were so interested in this match, they all thought that these two must be strong.
The little girl with the Byakugan was obviously from the Hyuga Clan, and the little blondie looked closely, seemed somewhat similar to the Fourth Hokage just now, so they came to a conclusion.
"The Fourth Hokage's son versus the Hyuga Clan's young lady?
This match must be very exciting, no wonder these Konoha ninjas are so interested."
Kushina was pulling Karin while complaining to Minato about something, and Minato could only laugh awkwardly and wave his hand, probably saying something about accidents and the like.
The proctors were all very interested, curious to see just how strong the Hokage's son really was.
Asuma was different from them. Listening to the talk around him about the "Fourth Hokage's son," and looking at Naruto's figure, he seemed to see his own shadow.
Asuma believed that Naruto, like him, had been called the Hokage's son since childhood, and no matter how hard he tried, he would not be recognized by others.
People would only think that your excellence is to be expected, after all, you are the Hokage's son, as if you will always have to live in the shadow of your father. This kid Naruto must also be very troubled...
Thus, this thoughtful, bearded tough guy was won over, thinking that he should give this child some psychological counseling when he had the chance, talk about his own experiences, and not let him repeat his own mistakes.
For a time, Asuma looked at Naruto with more tenderness than he looked at his girlfriend, Kurenai Yuhi.
In the arena, Naruto and Hinata stood facing each other, suddenly feeling a chill, as if they were being watched by something terrible.
Hayate Gekko coughed twice and said, "Then, let the battle begin!"
The two subconsciously adopted a fighting stance, and then neither of them moved.
"Naruto-kun, please guide me!"
Hinata was still a little dazed, not knowing why things had developed like this.
"Ah, oh."
Naruto was worried about how to fight this battle. He definitely couldn't use the Rasengan. That thing was too powerful. If he really dared to take it out, he would definitely be single for life.
Water Release should also be excluded, not to mention the issue of power, but mainly because it didn't seem appropriate to drench his girlfriend in front of so many people.
So what about taijutsu? Holding a Kunai against Hinata's neck and making her admit defeat? Wow, is that something a human could do?
Adamantine Sealing Chains? Naruto felt that if he dared to tie up Hinata, he would be tied up in the same position when he went back at night.
If all else failed, he would just drag her down. You people like to watch the excitement, then let you watch enough. Naruto made a decision, formed a hand seal, and released 100 Shadow Clones.
"Hinata, don't hold back, just treat it as practical training."
"Yes!" Hinata bit her lip. It shouldn't be like this. Originally, she planned to work hard to perform well, pass the Chunin Exams with Naruto-kun, and then muster the courage to say the words she had always wanted to say to Naruto-kun.
Although she can now feel Naruto-kun's feelings, and can be sure that Naruto-kun likes her.
Although she can now chat and train together like a couple, and feel his care and concern.
But ah, Naruto-kun, but this is not what I want. I don't want to be your burden. I don't want to always look up at your back. I hope that one day, I can stand side by side with you with my head held high, just like like Kushina-sensei standing next to the Fourth Hokage...
I didn't expect that in the end, I would have to fight Naruto-kun. Since it is destined that I can't win, then...
Hinata activated her Byakugan, and her heart became firm. Naruto-kun, please... look at my efforts—Hinata Hyuga!
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