"Shut up!!!"
The ultimate humiliation and rage instantly overwhelmed Sasuke's reason!
His Sharingan spun wildly, the scarlet light almost dripping blood.
Sasuke abruptly tried to pull back his grabbed hand, but couldn't, so he drew a Kunai with his other hand and, like a madman, recklessly stabbed at Naruto again.
"Clink."
Naruto flicked his finger, directly shattering the Kunai Sasuke was holding.
"Let go of me, let go of me!"
Sasuke lifted his leg for a side kick, but it was easily blocked by Naruto, who then casually kicked him away.
Even though Sasuke abandoned all rules and tried every method, he couldn't break free from Naruto's hold.
All of his efforts, his Sharingan, seemed so pale and powerless in front of Naruto.
"The Sharingan is still too weak without the Mangekyo."
"The Chidori's attack power couldn't even penetrate the defense I'm wearing, let alone threaten me directly."
"This can't even be called a battle; it's more like playing house."
Naruto's thoughts stirred.
Unbeknownst to him, the distance between himself and Sasuke had already grown so vast.
Naruto didn't let Sasuke continue to struggle, but instead raised his hand and delivered a hand chop, so fast it blurred, striking Sasuke on the back of his neck.
The force was precise to the extreme.
The madness and scarlet in Sasuke's eyes instantly faded, his Sharingan extinguished, leaving only blankness and complete darkness.
He slumped to the ground as if all his strength had been drained.
Shiranui Genma instantly appeared in the arena, looked at the unconscious Sasuke and Naruto standing quietly in the sunlight, took a deep breath, and announced loudly:
"The winner — Uzumaki Naruto!"
The entire arena fell silent.
After several seconds of pin-drop silence, the audience erupted into deafening cheers.
"Is this still the Chunin Exams? The strength of both sides has already far exceeded the Chunin level!"
"The Uchiha brat isn't weak; not only does he have the Sharingan, but he also mastered Kakashi Hatake's Chidori. How was he defeated by Uzumaki Naruto?"
"The blonde kid won too easily. Has his strength already reached the Jonin — or even Elite Jonin — level?"
"It's clear that Sasuke couldn't force out Naruto's true strength."
Orochimaru, in the VIP box, frowned slightly and subtly glanced at the Third Hokage.
"How exactly did this old man train the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi was a bit stunned; he didn't know either.
Might Guy asked with a chuckle, "Kakashi, your Chidori isn't much stronger than my Morning Peacock, is it?"
"I'm more curious about how far Naruto has grown."
Kakashi slowly lowered his eye mask, covering the Sharingan he had activated while watching the battle, and watched as the medical team carried the unconscious Sasuke away.
After winning, Naruto returned to the stands.
He curiously scanned over Orochimaru and the others.
When exactly would the Konoha Crush plan take place?
"Hey, Hyuga's young lady, hurry up and come down."
Before the Earth Release Ninja could repair the ground, Temari, with her Three-Star Fan, had already arrived in the arena and challenged Hyuga Hinata.
The second round of matches was Hyuga Hinata vs. Temari.
"Go, good luck."
Naruto reined in his scattered thoughts and nodded to Hyuga Hinata.
Compared to Ino Yamanaka, Hyuga Hinata was more like half of Naruto's student, and he had put more effort into her, so Naruto knew Hyuga Hinata's strength.
Temari couldn't possibly be Hyuga Hinata's opponent!
"Then the date—"
Hyuga Hinata shyly lowered her head, her two index fingers gently touching.
"No problem, and Ino Yamanaka won't be coming."
Naruto readily agreed.
"??"
Ino Yamanaka looked at Naruto, then at Hyuga Hinata, with several question marks appearing in her head.
As Hyuga Hinata accepted the challenge, the second match of the second round began.
A dry wind swept through the circular arena.
Temari heavily slammed her massive Three-Star Fan onto the ground, the metal ribs colliding with the earth with a dull thud.
Her golden hair was tied into neat four-strand braids, her emerald eyes were sharp like an eagle's, and a confident curve played on her lips as she surveyed Hyuga Hinata, who stood opposite her in plain white, serene as water.
"Hyuga's young lady? I hope your strength is more impressive than your reputation."
Temari's voice carried a hint of challenge, and her Three-Star Fan slightly opened, poised to strike.
Hinata's hands hung naturally at her sides, her short purple hair perfectly still.
She bowed slightly, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable firmness: "Please guide me, Miss Temari."
Byakugan, activate!
Veins protruded around her temples, Hinata spread her feet, and her hands adopted the starting stance of Gentle Fist.
"In that case, the second round of matches officially — begins!"
Shiranui Genma, with a senbon in his mouth, declared.
Temari seized the initiative, swinging her Three-Star Fan without hesitation!
"Wind Release: Sickle Weasel!"
Three invisible yet incredibly sharp giant wind blades tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek, cutting rapidly towards Hinata in a fan shape!
Where the wind blades passed, shallow furrows were plowed into the ground, their power quite astonishing.
Facing an attack capable of splitting a person in half, Hinata didn't choose to tank it like Naruto, but instead dodged flexibly.
She moved with the footwork corresponding to Gentle Fist, her figure like a wisp of wind, agile and precise.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
She narrowly, just by a hair's breadth, evaded the three wind blades as they brushed past her body.
The strong wind only ruffled her clothes and hair tips.
"She dodged it?!"
"In that case, how about this move —"
Temari's pupils constricted slightly, surprised that Hinata's perception and body flicker were so formidable, calmly evading the Wind Release: Sickle Weasel.
She immediately changed her technique, fully opening her Three-Star Fan!
"Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel!"
More, denser giant wind blades swept in like a storm.
At the same time, Temari fanned her Three-Star Fan again.
"Wind Release: Air Current Wild Dance!"
Under the massive fan's movement, chaotic strong winds raged in the center of the arena, forming a deathly wind zone, intending to completely seal off Hinata's evasion space.
Hinata's eyes narrowed, and from her starting stance, she immediately rotated her body.
"Heavenly Spin!"
A rapidly rotating, pale blue sphere composed of highly refined Gentle Fist Chakra instantly enveloped her.
The dense wind blades attacking from the ground, the violent turbulence, fiercely crashed against the Heavenly Spin shield.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
Piercing cutting and friction sounds, along with dull impact sounds, were incessant!
Temari attacked relentlessly, but Hinata's Byakugan Palm: Heavenly Spin remained as solid as a rock.
All Wind Release attacks were forcibly deflected by the rapidly rotating Chakra flow.
Hinata, within it, was completely unharmed!
"This is 'Heavenly Spin'?!"
Temari was shocked.
The Hyuga Main Family's absolute defense lived up to its reputation!
"I can't let her deplete her Chakra like this; I need to find a weakness in 'Heavenly Spin'." Temari's motion of swinging the Three-Star Fan paused.
The Wind Release temporarily ceased.
Hinata immediately dispersed Heavenly Spin, seizing the pause in the Wind Release, and instantly launched a counterattack.
She lowered her stance, her right hand drawn to her waist, highly condensed Gentle Fist Chakra compressed to the extreme in her palm!
"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Empty Palm!"