Naruto: The New Beginning

71. Naruto vs Hinata - 1

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"Cough, cough." Hayate Gekkō coughed twice, but Naruto couldn't tell if he was clearing his throat or genuinely coughing.

"I'm the examiner for this exam, Hayate Gekkō. Next, I'll be conducting the qualifiers for the third exam, ahem... It's a 1-on-1 arena..."

The examiner explained that since the third test would invite important figures from various villages, the competition time was limited; with so many participants, some needed to be eliminated.

So the preliminaries for the third test would determine who would participate in the official competition.

"If any participants are unwell or do not wish to compete for other reasons, they may withdraw now. Since this is an individual competition, withdrawing at this time will no longer affect your teammates..."

The candidates complained in their hearts, 'You're the one who should quit if you're not feeling well.'

Naruto looked at Hayate's pale face and weak voice. He couldn't help but complain about his father in his heart. ' This man is so ill,  why not let him take a leave and rest instead of making him work overtime? '

Then, after a moment of thought, Naruto realized, ' This guy's girlfriend is so pretty, maybe if he goes back on vacation, he'll end up worse. Working overtime might be his only way to rest. My dad is far-sighted.'

"Since no one has withdrawn, the third test qualifier will begin now. The participants for each match will be randomly paired on that screen."

As soon as Hayate finished speaking, the screen on the sidelines began to scroll and finally stopped.

[Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuga Hinata]

Hinata: "?"

Naruto: "!!!"

Naruto felt the malice of the world. "When I used to watch the anime, I always thought the Chunin Exam's so-called "random" matching mechanism was rigged. And today, I finally believe that it is random."

' Dad wouldn't dare to play around like this. If you could manipulate it, my mom would make you kneel on the ground. '

Naruto turned his head to look at Hinata. ' First, I got caught in the Forest of Death when my clone was dressed as a woman, and now, I have to endure more domestic violence. This day never ends. '

"Pfft," Sakura couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. ' That's what you get for showing off your love every day. '

Even the Nine-Tails in the sealed space propped up its chin with its front paws, lying on the ground and watching with interest.

"Go, Hinata!" Kiba, the eternal single, cheered without hesitation. He knew Hinata had little chance of winning, but that didn't stop him from rooting for her.

Akamaru barked, "Woof!"

Naruto didn't know what to make of Akamaru's support, but it didn't matter now.

Hayate looked at the screen and said, "The participants in the battle stay here, and the others move to the viewing area."

Sakura and Ino temporarily set aside their differences, chatting about the gossip between Naruto and Hinata, occasionally laughing like aunts.

Meanwhile, all the Konoha candidates in the stands knew there was a match between the young couple.

They all leaned on the railing to watch the spectacle, except for Neji, who wasn't too pleased. He felt his sister was about to be taken away.

The candidates from the other villages noticed how interested the Konoha candidates were in this match and assumed these two must be strong.

The Hyuga girl had the Byakugan, and the blond boy looked a bit like the Fourth Hokage, so they concluded.

"The Fourth Hokage's son versus the eldest daughter of the Hyuga Clan? This match must be thrilling. No wonder these Konoha ninjas are so interested."

Kushina was scolding Minato while holding Karin, and Minato could only smile sheepishly and wave his hand, probably saying something like, "It's just a coincidence."

The examiners were intrigued, curious about the strength of the Hokage's son.

Asuma, however, was different. He heard someone mention the "Fourth Hokage's son" and looked at Naruto. He felt like he was seeing a reflection of his younger self.

Asuma believed Naruto, like him, was the son of a Hokage and would always be expected to be great, no matter how hard he tried.

People would think, "Of course, you're great—you're the Hokage's son." It seemed like Naruto would always live in his father's shadow, just as Asuma had. Naruto must be struggling...

So, the thoughtful bearded man decided he would offer Naruto some psychological counselling, sharing his own experiences to help Naruto avoid repeating his mistakes.

For a moment, Asuma looked at Naruto with a softer gaze than his girlfriend Kurenai Yuhi.

In the arena, Naruto and Hinata stood facing each other and suddenly felt a chill, as if something terrible was about to happen.

Hayate coughed twice and said, "Let the battle begin!"

Both of them instinctively took their stances, but neither moved.

"Naruto-Kun, please be gentle!" Hinata was still a little dazed, unsure how things had escalated to this point.

Naruto was worried about how to handle the fight. ' Using Rasengan is out of the question—it's too powerful, and using it would be a death sentence. '

' As for Taijutsu, putting a kunai to Hinata's neck and making her surrender? That's not something a decent person would do! '

' The Adamantine Sealing Chains? If I dare to tie her up, I'll be the one tied up in the same position tonight. '

' If none of that works, I could always stall for time. These people love to watch the show, so I might as well give them a good one. '

Naruto made a decision and performed the hand signs to summon 100 shadow clones.

"Hinata, don't hold back. Just think of this as actual combat training."

"Yes!" Hinata bit her lip. ' It wasn't supposed to be like this. I wanted to work hard, pass the exam with Naruto-kun, and become a Chunin. Then, I would muster the courage to tell Naruto-kun those words I've always wanted to say. '

' Even though I can feel Naruto-Kun's heart now, and I know Naruto-Kun likes me...'

' Even though we can chat and train together like a couple, I can feel his care and attention... '

' But this isn't what I want. I don't want to be a burden to you, Naruto-kun. I don't want to keep looking up at your back. I want to stand by your side with my head held high, just like Kushina-sensei stands beside the Fourth Hokage... '

' I never expected to end up fighting Naruto-kun. But since I'm destined to lose... '

Hinata activated her Byakugan, and her resolve hardened. ' Naruto-kun, please... Watch me watch the efforts of Hinata Hyuga! '

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