When Hinata saw the fat boy reaching his hand toward her, she instinctively dodged.
The fat boy froze, feeling rejected. His eyes widened, and he almost shouted.
"Hey! Hinata! What's the meaning of that? You looking down on me?"
Startled by his loud voice, Hinata lowered her head slightly. Even to someone like him, her tone was still soft and timid.
"N-No, that's not it…"
Tonpaku was about to flare up again when Naruto stepped in front of Hinata, shielding her with his body and staring coldly at him.
"Hinata's on my team. You got a problem with that?"
Tonpaku looked up slightly at Naruto, who was nearly a head taller than him. Those piercing blue eyes shining with cold light made him shiver, forcing him to shrink back in fear.
It wasn't surprising—over the past year, anyone who picked a fight with Naruto had never met a good end.
Standing by Naruto's side, Hinata finally let out a small sigh of relief. Surrounded earlier, she had felt a heavy pressure.
"Naruto-kun… arigatou…"
Hearing her soft words of thanks, Naruto turned to her. His tone, unusually serious, carried a rare sharpness.
"Hinata, against guys like Tonpaku, you don't have to be so kind. If you are, they'll only be pushed further. Don't let people like that make you suffer."
Warned by Naruto, Hinata panicked a little. Thinking that her earlier behavior might make him dislike her, she quickly nodded.
"Y-Yes… I understand…"
After the teams were formed, Naruto, Hinata, and Ino began searching for the scroll.
Walking with two very different girls—one shy and gentle, the other lively and confident—Naruto smiled helplessly.
With his keen observational skills, Naruto could easily spot deliberate signs left behind. But instead of doing so, he glanced at the still-nervous Hinata. She lacked self-confidence. He had to give her chances to show herself.
"Hinata, it's your turn."
Blushing slightly, Hinata nodded. The veins around her eyes bulged as she activated the Byakugan.
Her Byakugan purity was the highest within the Hyūga clan, so her insight was naturally extraordinary.
The unique black-and-white vision switched rapidly.
After scanning, Hinata suddenly ran in one direction, with Naruto and Ino following closely behind.
Other students had already finished forming their teams.
Sasuke, of course, was stuck with Sakura clinging to him, along with a glasses-wearing girl.
After dozens of meters, Hinata stopped beneath a large tree and pointed at a broken twig on the ground.
Clearly, it had been stepped on.
Following the trail, they soon found the next clue: a footprint left on another tree.
The trail ended there.
Hinata thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up at the tree canopy.
"Naruto-kun, the scroll might be hidden in the trees."
Naruto nodded and began checking the branches. Soon, he found the scroll tucked inside a bird's nest.
Of course, real tracking wouldn't be this easy—false trails and concealed traces were common obstacles. But for a school exercise, it wasn't meant to be too difficult.
Jumping down with the scroll, Naruto smiled at Hinata with genuine approval.
"Hinata, that was excellent."
[Naruto-kun praised me…] Hinata's face turned bright red, her heart filling with overwhelming joy.
At home, while training in Gentle Fist, what she usually heard were her father's sighs of disappointment.
Seeing this, Ino felt a little sour inside, but she still smiled and celebrated.
"Yoshi! Looks like the strongest squad is us!"
By noon, a delivery from Ichiraku Ramen arrived, sent by three genin to the Forest of Death.
In total, six squads had managed to obtain the scroll.The remaining four teams could only starve and keep searching.
Naruto and the other successful participants scattered in pairs or trios, finding comfortable spots to sit down and eat.
Naruto received a serving of tonkotsu ramen with soft-boiled eggs.
Except… after traveling such a distance, the eggs were fully cooked.
He took a large bite. The noodles felt sticky, not nearly as good as when eaten in the shop. But the broth was still rich and savory—acceptable enough.
Ino and Hinata, seated on either side of him, began eating as well.
Not far away, Sasuke sat in silence, his expression cold as he ate.
Since the Uchiha massacre, he had withdrawn into this state, as if the whole world owed him something.
Sakura, smiling brightly, sat beside him and picked up her heart-shaped fried egg, placing it into his bowl.
"Sasuke, eat more, okay? It was thanks to you that we found the clues earlier—you were amazing!"
"Way better than Naruto. I saw it just now. He only found the scroll because of Hinata's Byakugan."
Hearing this, Sasuke glanced at Naruto and snorted coldly.
Still, he couldn't deny he was a little pleased by Sakura's praise.
Halfway through their meal, the ground suddenly shook violently.
Everyone froze, chopsticks in hand, confused.
"An earthquake?" Sakura asked nervously.
Iruka and two special jōnin immediately grew alert, looking toward the source of the sound.
From a distance, they saw a massive beast, several meters tall, charging toward them.
The ground caved with every step, small trees toppling like twigs in its wake.
A colossal black wild boar, eyes blood-red and maddened, thundered straight toward Naruto's group!
"This is bad! How could something like that appear near the forest's edge?!" Iruka exclaimed.
The two special jōnin reacted instantly, using the Body Flicker Technique to rush forward.
The boar's speed was terrifying. Many students caught sight of its mountain-like bulk and turned pale, fleeing in fear.
Amid the panic, some like Tonpaku, who had once been crushed by Naruto, secretly gloated—hoping to see the beast tear Naruto apart.
Watching from afar, Kakashi closed his book Icha Icha Paradise. His visible eye wasn't particularly worried.
After all, having seen Naruto's outrageous sword techniques, he didn't believe a wild boar could threaten him.
Still, to be safe, he moved closer, ready to intervene.
Beside Naruto, Ino and Hinata were nervous, but unlike the other students, they didn't run. Instead, they chose to stand with him.
Sakura, panicking, tugged Sasuke's arm. "Sasuke, hurry, let's run!"
But Sasuke shook her off roughly and walked toward the danger instead.
Sakura fell to the ground in confusion.
The two special jōnin, having arrived, were about to weave hand seals for a jutsu—
But at that moment, a dragon-shaped tornado of slicing wind erupted, streaking past them in an instant!
Even standing a few meters away, the wind cut into their skin painfully.
First Form—Close Range. Instantly connected.
Third Form: Azure Storm Wind Tree!
Everyone saw a flash of blue. In the blink of an eye, it collided with the boar.
Then, centered on the beast, countless enormous azure blades of wind exploded outward in a dazzling display.
When the blades finally faded, the rampaging boar had been reduced to pieces.
Standing atop one of the larger chunks of flesh, Naruto flicked his sword clean of blood.
All eyes turned to that blond figure.
The vast forest fell silent.