Chapter 132: Rin in My Arms
"It's been dealt with. It was just a toad," Hoshikawa said, reappearing in front of Rin Nohara and Kurenai Yūhi.
"Of course, it was you!" Rin said, putting away her kunai in astonishment.
"With Hoshikawa here, we don't have to do anything to get first place," Kurenai said with a smile.
"I can't help you in the third stage, which is the one-on-one battles," Hoshikawa said, raising his hand and lightly tapping her forehead. "Come on, let's not waste any time."
He then leaped forward, once again taking the lead. Kurenai waited for Rin to catch up before quickly following. The three of them ran through the Forest of Death in a single-file line.
An hour later, Rin landed on the ground, just about to jump again when the ground suddenly began to shake. The earth cracked open, revealing a giant mouth that lunged at her. Caught completely off guard, Rin lost her footing and fell, a look of panic on her face.
"Rin!" Kurenai cried, speeding up, but it was too late.
Just then, a flash of lightning streaked by, scooping up Rin and rushing away. It was Hoshikawa . He never expected a toad to act like a lurker, launching a surprise attack from underground. Besides that, there was another reason: his perception jutsu was still a bit basic and mainly sensed movement on the surface, which was why he had missed this toad.
Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu! Kurenai reacted quickly, stopping and forming a series of hand signs. A stream of water shot out, forming a water dragon that slammed into the giant toad beneath the ground.
Sensing danger, the great toad leaped into the air. It looked at Kurenai and spit out a giant water ball.
Body Flicker Jutsu! Kurenai immediately moved back. The giant water ball hit the ground and splashed, creating countless sprays of water.
Water Release: Water Bullets! Kurenai raised both hands, firing a torrent of water bullets at the great toad. Although it tried to dodge, its body was too large, and it was hit repeatedly, croaking in pain.
Hoshikawa took one look and knew the giant toad was no match for Kurenai. He lowered his head to look at Rin in his arms. Her eyes were closed, and her legs, wrapped in dark-red knee socks, were tightly pressed together in the crook of his arm. Her hands were instinctively wrapped around his waist.
"It's okay, Rin," Hoshikawa said. Hearing his familiar voice, the frightened Rin gradually came back to her senses. She instinctively moved her hands and found she was holding onto Hoshikawa 's clothes.
"Th-thank you..." Rin quickly let go and moved out of his arms. She lowered her head, not daring to look at him, her face flushed as she unconsciously straightened her pink dress. This was the first time she had ever been so close to a boy her age, even if it was during an emergency.
Hoshikawa simply nodded, not bothering her further. In an instant, he arrived in front of Kurenai.
"I give up!" The great toad said bluntly when it saw him. "You can go." It was already struggling to fight Kurenai; adding Hoshikawa to the mix would guarantee its defeat.
"No way!" Kurenai scoffed. "You almost ate Rin just now."
"I don't eat people, I was just trying to scare her," the toad quickly said, shaking its head. "I'm a toad from Mount Myōboku. I only eat bugs!"
"Let's not worry about it. We should continue the exam," Hoshikawa said, grabbing Kurenai's wrist and shaking his head.
The toad immediately turned and ran.
"Rin, are you hurt?" Kurenai asked, looking at Rin with concern.
"I'm fine," Rin said, glancing at Hoshikawa and adding gratefully, "Thanks to Hoshikawa ."
"That's good," Kurenai said without further conversation. "Come on, come on! We're definitely getting first place this time!"
The three of them started running again. Two hours later, they finally saw Jiraiya.
"That's the finish line!" Kurenai said, her spirits lifted.
"Looks like we're first," Hoshikawa said, looking around and not seeing any other teams.
"Awesome!" Rin's face broke into a happy smile.
"Congratulations!" Jiraiya said, clapping. "You handled both toad attacks perfectly. That's really impressive."
"Thanks, Uncle Jiraiya," Hoshikawa said with a smile.
"I'll announce the rules for the third stage once the other six teams arrive." Jiraiya said, nodding slightly.
Just as Hoshikawa was about to reply, he heard the sound of footsteps.
"Youthful rush!" Guy transformed into a green whirlwind, storming through the forest. Kakashi followed behind him with a blank expression.
"First place is definitely ours!" Obito said, incredibly excited. He had finally beaten Hoshikawa ! As his view widened, he saw Jiraiya. But at the same time, he also saw Hoshikawa , Rin, and Kurenai. Obito's face instantly froze.
No! How could this happen?
"A shame," Kakashi said, shaking his head, but he didn't show much emotion. He was already used to losing to Hoshikawa . As for Guy, he only got stronger with each defeat, like a resilient cockroach.
"Damn it!" The sound of rushing wind filled the air. Asuma's figure appeared. Behind him were Shisui Uchiha and Shizune. Although they had been moving at full speed, they were still a step too slow. Not only did they not get first place, but they also missed out on second place.
"Still Hoshikawa -senpai," Shisui said with a smile.
"We were only a little bit behind," Asuma said, still unwilling to give up.
"A little bit is still a loss," Kurenai said with a laugh.
Asuma's body trembled with anger. Wasn't it hard enough for him? Six years! He hadn't won once! The worst part was that if he couldn't win a team battle, there was no way he could win a one-on-one.
"Rin?" Obito called out twice, but Rin didn't respond. He couldn't help but wave his hand in front of her.
"What is it, Obito?" Rin said, coming back to her senses with a slight blush. She still hadn't fully recovered from the attack earlier, and she kept thinking about Hoshikawa saving her.
"Nothing," Obito said with a smile. "Congratulations on getting first place."
"It's not my credit," Rin said, shaking her head. "It was Kurenai and Hoshikawa ."
Obito's expression immediately became strained. Why is it always Hoshikawa ?
As the others chatted, time passed. Two hours later, all seven teams had arrived, a total of 21 examinees. Aside from Hoshikawa 's group, everyone else had some injuries. The toads from Mount Myōboku were not weak. Jiraiya had specifically selected them based on the genin's strength to provide a good challenge. Of course, that excluded Hoshikawa , Rin, and Kurenai's team. Jiraiya could have found toads to match them, but that would be too ridiculous—using jōnin-level toads for a Chūnin Exam. If Tsunade found out, he would suffer a terrible fate.
"Congratulations!" Jiraiya announced loudly. "The seven of you will move on to the third stage, which is the one-on-one battles. The only rule is to keep winning!"
"When does it start?" Guy asked impatiently.
"Three days from now, at the Konoha Arena," Jiraiya said, waving his hand. "That concludes the second stage. Dismissed!"
"Yes, sir!" Everyone said in unison.
With a poof of smoke, Jiraiya and all the toads disappeared. The genin also began to leave.
"Hoshikawa , thank you for today," Rin said, walking a few steps forward to express her gratitude.
"You've already thanked me. You don't have to anymore," Hoshikawa said, turning to look into her brown eyes. Rin flinched as if she had been shocked, and looked away.
"Hoshikawa , should we go straight home or find Tsunade-sensei?" Kurenai asked, reaching out and tugging on Hoshikawa 's sleeve.
"Let's go tell Sensei," Hoshikawa said after a moment of thought.
"Okay." Kurenai glanced at Rin and continued walking.
A short time later, they arrived at Tsunade's house.
"We're home, Sensei," Hoshikawa said, opening the door and walking into the living room.
"How did it go?" Tsunade was sitting on the sofa, bored, watching TV.
"First place, of course!" Kurenai said with a smile.
"That's acceptable," Tsunade said without surprise. "When does the third stage begin?"
"In three days," Hoshikawa said, sitting across from her. "Do you have any plans for us?"
"No," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "No amount of special training in three days will be enough. It's better to rest and save your energy."
"That makes sense," Hoshikawa said, looking at Rin and Kurenai. "We should head back."
"They can go home. You stay," Tsunade suddenly said.
"Yes, Sensei." Rin and Kurenai exchanged glances and left without another word.
"Are you going to the casino again?" Hoshikawa asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tsunade wanted to speak but stopped herself. Being so easily predictable was a little frustrating.
"Why not?" Tsunade said, pulling her legs up and sitting cross-legged on the sofa, glaring at him. Hoshikawa felt an odd sense of her looking wronged. He smiled and said, "I guess it's okay."
Tsunade immediately jumped off the sofa, walked up to him, grabbed his hand, and started to walk out.
"Wait," Hoshikawa said, pulling her back. "It's snowing outside. I'll get you a thick coat."
Tsunade stopped and watched him walk into her room, feeling a bit dazed. This brat has really grown up.
In the Hokage's office, Hiruzen Sarutobi held a manga book, Redo of Healer, and sighed. It had been a long time since Reiji Kōno had released a new work.
"Old man!" Just then, a figure flipped in through the window. Hiruzen was startled and subconsciously hid his manga book.
"What are you looking at? Are you peeping with the Crystal Ball again?" Jiraiya asked, a look of envy on his face. "When are you going to pass the Crystal Ball on to me?"
"When you become Hokage," Hiruzen said after a pause. "And what do you mean 'peeping'? I was just inspecting Konoha!"
"No way!" Jiraiya refused without hesitation. "Being Hokage is too much trouble. Go find Tsunade or Orochimaru."
Hiruzen glared at him and asked, "How did the Chūnin Exams go?"
"It's all here. See for yourself," Jiraiya said, casually tossing him a scroll.
"As I expected, Hoshikawa got first place." Hiruzen nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the scroll.
...
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