Standing on the high balcony, Rock Lee's eyes shone with pleasant surprise as he watched Naruto below. Sakura and Kanon clasped their hands together, celebrating the joy of victory.
"Awesome! He won!"
Shikamaru and the others wore looks of utter bewilderment.
"Naruto... he actually beat Kiba..."
"Talk about an upset..."
At the center of the arena, Naruto stood tall, feeling the rush of his newfound strength. His heart hammered with excitement.
"Too easy, way too easy!"
As Naruto passed by Hinata, she looked as if she wanted to say something, her voice barely a whisper.
"Huh? Hinata, did you say something?"
"Th-that..." Hinata's cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she timidly held out a small jar of ointment toward Naruto.
"What's this?" Naruto asked, puzzled.
"It's an ointment for your wounds," Kurenai Yuhi explained with a gentle smile from behind.
"But... why give it to me?"
Seeing the oblivious Naruto and the beet-red Hinata, Kurenai understood exactly what was going on in the hearts of these two youngsters.
"Just take it, Naruto."
Naruto turned back to Hinata. Seeing her shyness and Kurenai's encouraging smile, he didn't quite know how to react, but he finally accepted the ointment.
"Uh, yeah... thanks."
"You're a really nice person, Hinata!"
Meanwhile, Kurenai's gaze drifted toward the distance, where medical ninja were escorting Kiba away for treatment. She felt a wave of emotion.
Kiba, don't feel ashamed. He was a formidable opponent.
From a distance, Kanon witnessed the scene, but her attention was drawn to Neji Hyuga of Team 3. She noticed the cold, murderous intent swirling in his eyes.
When Naruto returned to the balcony, he and Kanon shared a fist bump to celebrate.
"Nice job, Naruto."
"Haha! You bet it was!"
After the fist bump, Hayate Gekko announced the start of the next match. When the names flashed on the electronic scoreboard, both Kanon and Naruto were stunned.
Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga!
The sudden silence from the crowd sparked Kanon's confusion. "A Hyuga civil war? Why is everyone so quiet?"
"This match is going to be very interesting..." Kakashi remarked.
"Interesting?" Naruto scratched his head.
"A battle within the Hyuga clan..." Might Guy added, his expression turning solemn as he watched the boy and girl on the field.
"I didn't expect to face you here, Hinata-sama," Neji said coldly.
"Neji-niisan..." Hinata whispered.
"Are they siblings?" Naruto asked Kanon in surprise. Since Team 7 also had a pair of siblings, the concept was familiar.
Kakashi and Rock Lee took the opportunity to educate the group. They explained how prestigious clans like the Uchiha and Hyuga are divided into the Main House and the Branch House, the Main House being the direct lineage, and the Branch House consisting of the secondary descendants.
"Hey... wait a sec. You're talking about direct lines and all that, but surely family members wouldn't actually hurt each other in a fight, right?" Naruto asked, turning to Kanon. "Kanon, if you went up against your brother Sasuke in a match like this, would you really flatten him??"
The question gave Kanon pause. She thought for a moment.
"I wouldn't say 'flatten,' but I would definitely defeat him head-on!" Kanon knew her brother wasn't afraid of losing; Sasuke simply wanted to know if he was becoming stronger.
They turned their attention back to the preliminaries. Kakashi continued to explain the Hyuga traditions, specifically the clan rule stating that the Branch House must protect the Main House, even at the cost of their lives.
The duel was heart-wrenching to watch. Hinata, who had been on the verge of giving up, had reignited her fighting spirit thanks to Naruto's encouragement. However, a genius is a genius because they reach heights unattainable by ordinary people.
While the Gentle Fist style was graceful to behold, Neji's subsequent strikes were exceptionally brutal. He drove Hinata back step by step, leaving her coughing up blood.
Naruto and Kanon, the two hot-blooded idiots of the group, were fuming in the stands. They began screaming encouragement and insults at the top of their lungs.
"Hinata, don't be afraid of him! Show him what you're made of!" Kanon cheered wildly for her friend below.
As a genius of the Uchiha clan, Kanon usually maintained a bit more restraint, but the Naruto next to her had no such qualms. He hurled every insult in the book at Neji.
Hinata looked up at Kanon and Naruto. They were the only two who truly believed she could defeat Neji.
This time, I definitely won't back down!
She firmly believed that with the power of trust, everything could change.
"Nothing ever changes!" Neji roared, striking Hinata squarely in the chest.
As Hinata was sent flying once again, Kanon and Naruto reached the peak of their fury.
"Hinata-sama, those who are elite remain elite. A failure will always be a failure."
"Just like the gap between the Main House and the Branch House."
Neji froze for a moment. Despite her chakra points being sealed, Hinata grit her teeth and stood up once more.
"Are you a fool? Why do you keep standing up? If you just stayed down, this would all be over!" Neji stared at her, uncomprehending.
"I... never... break my word."
"I... won't run away..." Images of Naruto and Kanon flashed through her mind, the only ones in these Chunin Exams who believed she could win.
She couldn't be the only one to fall. Hinata Hyuga finally steadied her footing and took her combat stance.
"Because this... is my ninja way..."
She looked up at the worried faces of Naruto and Kanon, one the person she loved most, the other one of her best friends. Hinata smiled, even with blood staining the corner of her mouth.
"Hinata... she's actually that tough..." Even Naruto was starting to get worried.
"Naruto, Hinata has been watching you all this time. Where has your voice gone?" Kanon's words snapped Naruto out of his daze.
"Go for it, Hinata! Beat him!"
Kanon's cheers rang throughout the arena, drawing everyone's gaze. The genius of the Uchiha clan was earnestly cheering for Hinata. Others had assumed she was just following Naruto's lead, but she was dead serious.
Naruto joined in, shouting down to the girl below.
"Come then." Neji glanced at the two from Team 7 and said no more.
At this moment, Hinata wasn't just proving herself; she was fighting for the person she loved and for those who believed in her!
Hinata moved. This time, her offense was sharper, but the gap in their abilities was simply too vast. Faced with an unrelenting Hinata, Neji's anger began to boil.
Every counter-attack he made after catching an opening was more vicious than the last. In one final clash, Neji struck Hinata directly over her heart, sending her crashing back.
Hinata lost consciousness. The entire room went still. Even Kanon and Naruto were frozen in shock.
"You bastard... were you trying to kill her?" Kanon roared at Neji.
"Kanon Uchiha, I find your cheering for her irritating. The next time we meet, I'll make sure you end up just like her!" Neji turned back, ignoring Naruto entirely and pointing directly at Kanon.
"Fine... Neji Hyuga. I'll make you regret ever drawing my name!" Kanon's voice turned ice-cold.
Hayate Gekko saw Hinata lying unconscious and prepared to end the match, but Hinata stood up yet again.
"It's... not over yet!"
"Stop acting tough. You can barely even stand."
"Since the moment you were born, you have been burdened by the destiny of the Hyuga Main House. You constantly hate and blame yourself for your own weakness."
"But people cannot change. That is destiny."
"There is no need to suffer anymore... just let go!"
Hinata's body trembled uncontrollably. The agonizing pain made her stumble. Among the Genin present, only Kanon could truly sense the depth of that physical toll. But the more she understood the pain, the deeper her rage grew. She wanted nothing more than to shove a Rasengan into Neji's mouth and let him taste it.
Hinata looked at Neji and slowly shook her head.
"That's not it, Neji-niisan..."
"Because... I can see it too."
"All this time... you've been suffering more than me."
"The one who is truly lost and in pain... within the Main House and the Branch House... is you."
Those words pierced Neji to the core. He lunged at Hinata in a blind rage, a murderous intent radiating from his eyes. Every shinobi of Chunin rank or higher saw exactly what Neji intended to do.
"Neji! The match is over!"
Watching Neji charge at lightning speed toward the defenseless Hinata, even Hayate Gekko realized he might be too late.
"Oh no!"
In the next instant, a figure descended from the sky. A palm carrying a gale-force wind struck Neji directly on his forehead protector!
"Wind Release: Gale Palm!"
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed as a violent vortex of wind erupted. Neji was sent spiraling back, slamming hard into the distant wall.
At that moment, even the four Proctor Jonin, Might Guy, Kakashi, and the others who had just rushed down, froze in their tracks.
"That's enough... Neji Hyuga!" Kanon's three-tomoe Sharingan was active and spinning.
"If you still want to throw a tantrum, I'll be your opponent."
Her Uchiha trench coat billowed in the wind. Under the crimson glare of her Sharingan, her hand drew a kunai from her leg holster, dropping into a combat stance.
Kakashi looked at Kanon with a sense of awe. Such incredible speed. Although the Jonin could have intervened, Kanon had undeniably been the first to move.
In the distance, Neji grit his teeth and stood up after taking the Gale Palm, directing his killing intent toward Kanon.
"Neji, that's enough!"
"Didn't you promise me? No more fighting over the affairs of the Main House!" Might Guy scolded.
"Why are all the Jonin interfering? Is this some special treatment for the Main House?!" Neji bellowed.
Kanon heard Hinata coughing violently, sounding as if she were spitting up blood. She hurriedly turned and knelt to support Hinata.
"Hinata!" Kurenai arrived at Hinata's side immediately. Naruto, Sakura, and Lee all came running down as well.
"Hinata! Are you okay? Hey!"
Hinata lay on the ground, looking up at the faces of Naruto and Kanon. Her voice was a mere tremble. "Naruto... Kanon..."
"I..."
With that, she drifted into unconsciousness.
Neji, his anger now cooled, walked over to stand before Naruto and Kanon.
"I have two pieces of advice for you."
"If you are shinobi, don't do something as stupid as cheering for others."
"And..." Neji looked directly at Naruto. "A failure is a failure in the end. That never changes!"
Naruto stood up, meeting Neji's gaze with absolute seriousness.
"You want to bet on that?!"
"Hmph."
The corner of Neji's mouth twitched upward. As Naruto lunged toward him, he simply crossed his arms, unfazed.