The break following the preliminaries passed in the blink of an eye.
On the day of the finals, the Konoha gatekeepers, Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, were particularly busy. By midday, they had already welcomed a flood of wealthy merchants and notable figures.
Atop the Hokage Residence, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, stood in his ceremonial robes, gazing distantly at the bustling main gates. He murmured to himself,
"So it begins..."
Orochimaru had returned to the village with unknown intentions. Anko Mitarashi had gone missing. A vague but undeniable sense of foreboding loomed in Hiruzen's heart. Adjusting his hat, he spoke quietly to the ANBU on either side of him,
"Let's go."
He had hidden armor beneath his robes today, silently praying that nothing would go wrong.
...
In the open-air stadium of Konoha, spectators were already pouring in. The stands buzzed with conversation and excitement.
When Naruto entered, his teammates from Squad 7 were nowhere to be seen. Sakura, Sasuke, even Kakashi—none of them were around. Only one girl stood nearby, secretly watching him with a dazed expression, her cheeks tinged a deep pink.
"H-Hinata! Uh, hey." Naruto greeted her awkwardly.
"N-Naruto-kun..." The moment Hinata saw him, she reflexively stammered and blushed furiously.
Even Naruto, usually thick-skinned, became strangely bashful in front of Hinata.
Ever since Neji had pointed out the obvious between them, their interactions had become... different. Neither of them really understood what it meant to be so close, but if things kept going this way, they'd probably grow up like childhood sweethearts.
...
Meanwhile, in the Uchiha compound...
After breakfast, Sasuke and Neji left together, then split off in different directions—one heading toward the final battlefield of the Chūnin Exams, the other toward the Hyūga compound.
As they walked away from each other, both boys' eyes gleamed with the same anxious anticipation.
"The day has finally come..."
By the time Neji arrived at the stadium, the other contestants were already assembled, and spectators had taken their seats.
Sakura was whispering with Ino, though both of them looked rather pale.
Kiba was chatting with Shino. "Weird. Where's Hinata? Why isn't she with us?"
Akamaru barked twice in agreement.
Shino nudged his sunglasses up and pointed to a corner.
"Look over there."
Kiba turned his head—and there was Naruto, talking and laughing with Hinata. Between them hung a pink, mysterious aura. A thick scent of budding romance filled the air.
Akamaru, still perched on Kiba's head, turned to look as well. The moment he saw the scene, he whimpered softly and shut his eyes tight, as if he'd just witnessed something he didn't want to understand.
...
At the VIP stand, Hiruzen was exchanging polite flattery with the daimyō of the Land of Fire.
On the surface, Hiruzen remained calm and cordial, but deep inside, he felt something was off. The daimyō, who used to be bloated and sluggish, looked strikingly different today. The double chin was gone, and his energy seemed to surpass that of the Hokage himself.
—The world of shinobi had been suffering from frequent natural disasters due to oceanic changes. The Land of Fire was no exception. So why was the daimyō smiling?
Just then, an ANBU agent leaned in and whispered something in Hiruzen's ear.
The smile on Hiruzen's face froze instantly.
"If the Hokage has pressing matters, don't mind me," the daimyō said considerately.
Hiruzen nodded.
A short while later...
"Have you found him?" Hiruzen asked urgently.
The ANBU shook his head.
"Uchiha Sasuke disappeared at a street corner after leaving his home. Could it be Orochimaru's doing?"
Hiruzen itched for a smoke, only to remember he hadn't brought his pipe today. He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself. But before he could formulate a plan—
The Kazekage arrived.
Immediately, Hiruzen put on a benevolent smile and greeted him as if nothing were wrong.
"Welcome, Fourth Kazekage!"
The man before him was Rasa. His face remained stoic, not even his eyes moved as he exchanged brief pleasantries.
Hiruzen raised his voice and announced, "Let the final round of the Chūnin Exam begin!"
The referee for today's matches was Genma Shiranui. A senbon stuck casually from his mouth as he counted the number of participants and adjusted the match order accordingly.
The Third Hokage had added Sasuke to the list last-minute, but now that Sasuke had gone missing, Genma had no choice but to schedule him for a later match. If he never showed up, he'd be skipped entirely.
Genma began calmly reading out the rules.
"This is the final stage of the exams. The rules are the same as the preliminaries—no limitations on techniques. The match ends only when one participant admits defeat or dies. Of course, I will intervene if I deem the result clear."
"First match: Hyūga Neji versus Uzumaki Naruto. All other contestants, clear the field."
"The underdog versus the prodigy. Now this should be fun," Kotetsu whispered to Izumo.
Most of the audience didn't expect any surprises. Only Hinata, clutching the hem of her shirt, prayed softly under her breath.
"Naruto... do your best!"
Facing Neji, Naruto wore a serious expression.
"Today, I'm going to beat you!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Neji replied coldly, his tone unreadable.
Genma checked both sides, raised his hand—and brought it down.
"Begin!"
...
Hyūga Hiashi sat in the stands with Hanabi beside him, his face solemn.
Uzumaki Naruto was the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki. The Hokage had rushed to put him on display. There was no way they'd allow him to be humiliated in front of the entire village.
This "underdog versus prodigy" setup was actually meant to flip the script—Naruto was to use the "genius" as a stepping stone to rise to fame. A classic reversal. A crowd-pleaser.
Even if he was still a child, the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails would naturally possess power beyond the norm.
Plenty of people probably wanted to see Neji lose. Arrogant, harsh, and openly disrespectful toward his elders—wasn't he the perfect fall guy for a protagonist's dramatic triumph?
...
Neji shifted into a strange stance. In an instant, two horns sprouted from his forehead. His hair darkened to a shade blacker than ebony. His skin turned paler than snow, lips blood-red like he'd just devoured something alive. His fingernails, porcelain-like, extended a full three inches.
The sudden transformation stunned Naruto—and shocked the spectators.
Especially Hiashi. The horns had knocked Neji's forehead protector clean off, revealing a smooth, unmarked forehead. No Caged Bird Seal.
Hiashi, usually tolerant of Neji's rebelliousness, had a sudden shift in demeanor. As long as the "pet" was under control, its barking didn't matter—sometimes it was even endearing. But once it broke out of the cage and turned into a beast, it could only be seen as a threat.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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