Chapter 44 (Patreon)

The opening match of the Chūnin Exam finals had given the audience a spectacle beyond anything they had expected, sending the atmosphere in the stadium to its peak.

That excitement quickly faded when Sasuke Uchiha failed to appear for the second match.

Many spectators had come specifically to see the orphaned Uchiha fight, and their complaints soon filled the stands. Rather than immediately declaring Sasuke disqualified, the officials decided to postpone his match until the end of the round.

The third match began instead.

Shino Aburame versus Kankurō.

Unfortunately for the audience, Kankurō surrendered before the battle could even begin, earning another wave of angry shouts from the stands.

Kankurō completely ignored them.

Preserving his strength for the upcoming operation was far more important than entertaining a crowd of civilians.

The matches moved on to the fourth bout.

Temari versus Shikamaru Nara.

It became the match that made Konoha’s senior shinobi take notice of Shikamaru’s intelligence.

Shikamaru’s combat strength might not have matched Naruto Uzumaki’s or Sasuke Uchiha’s. Among the nine finalists, there were at least four people capable of defeating him in a direct fight.

However, among all the candidates who participated in this Chūnin Exam, Shikamaru was the only one who would earn a promotion to chūnin.

A total of one hundred and fifty-three candidates had entered the exam.

For Shikamaru to stand above all of them showed just how highly the examiners regarded his judgment and tactical ability.

There was no tunnel left behind by Naruto in the arena this time, but Mihawk’s slash had carved a deep trench across the battlefield. Shikamaru still found several ways to use the terrain to his advantage.

In the end, he successfully caught Temari with the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Then, despite having placed her completely under his control, Shikamaru calmly surrendered.

His defeat brought the fourth match to an end.

Next came the fifth match.

Naruto Uzumaki versus Hinata Hyūga.

Mihawk gently patted Hinata between the shoulder blades and gave her an encouraging smile.

“Go on. Do your best.”

“Mm!”

Hinata nodded firmly.

She then made her way down to the arena with far more confidence than she would once have possessed.

Resting his arms against the railing, Mihawk glanced toward Hanabi Hyūga and Hiashi Hyūga’s seats.

During his match against Neji, Mihawk had used Observation Haki to locate the father and daughter in the audience.

That was one of the reasons he had deliberately displayed so much of his strength in front of Hiashi.

Mihawk understood that unless he proved how powerful he was, his future with Hinata would face many obstacles from the Hyūga Clan.

However, Hiashi was no longer seated beside Hanabi.

After Neji left the arena, Hiashi had followed him out of the stadium.

He had most likely gone to speak with Neji, reveal the truth surrounding his father’s death, and finally settle the hatred Neji had carried for so many years.

Just as Mihawk was about to look away, a pair of clear white eyes met his gaze from across the stadium.

Mihawk paused slightly.

Hanabi was staring directly at him.

He calmly withdrew his gaze.

Interesting.

Has she been watching me this entire time?

Is she curious about my relationship with Hinata?

A faint smile appeared on Mihawk’s face, but he did not pay it much attention.

In the arena below, Hinata and Naruto had already taken their positions opposite each other.

Genma Shiranui held a senbon between his teeth as he glanced at them both.

“If you’re ready, begin.”

“Yes.”

The veins around Hinata’s temples rose as she activated her Byakugan. She lowered her body and assumed the stance of the Gentle Fist.

“Let’s have a good match, Naruto-kun.”

“Yeah. You too, Hinata.”

Naruto’s expression became serious.

He did not dare underestimate her.

He still clearly remembered how Hinata had defeated her opponent in only two moves during the preliminary matches.

The two of them watched each other for several seconds.

Hinata moved first.

Whoosh!

Chakra gathered beneath her feet.

Her small figure blurred as she raced toward Naruto like a sudden gust of wind.

Hinata had mastered tree climbing and water walking several years earlier. Her chakra control had already been far more refined than Mihawk’s at the time, and her speed was anything but slow.

“So fast!”

Naruto’s eyes widened.

He immediately crossed the index and middle fingers of both hands.

“Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several clouds of smoke erupted around him.

Seven or eight shadow clones appeared and charged toward Hinata from several directions.

Too slow.

There are openings everywhere.

Hinata released a quiet breath.

She stopped for the briefest instant and turned her body sideways.

Her fingers shot forward with incredible speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Her palms sliced through the air.

With a single strike, Hinata hit one of Naruto’s shadow clones.

Bang!

The clone disappeared in a burst of smoke.

“Eight Trigrams Air Palm!”

Hinata’s long, light-purple hair fluttered behind her as she thrust her palm forward.

A compressed burst of air shot toward Naruto with perfect accuracy.

BOOM!

The attack struck him directly.

The remaining shadow clones vanished into smoke, while Naruto’s real body was sent flying across the arena.

Hinata had spent many years at Mihawk’s side.

She had witnessed his talent, his effort, and the strength he had built through constant training.

For six years, they had eaten together, taken naps together, and trained beside each other.

Hinata’s greatest improvement during those years was not merely the growth of her Gentle Fist.

It was the change in her personality.

She was no longer timid whenever she stood beside Mihawk. She no longer hesitated or held herself back because of excessive kindness.

By gradually following Mihawk’s disciplined routine of training and rest, her state of mind had become calm and composed.

Her Byakugan had never stopped tracking Naruto’s real body.

Even though the Byakugan could not distinguish the original from shadow clones once they were created, Hinata had already memorized Naruto’s position and movements beforehand.

As long as she continued watching carefully and waited for the right moment, she could strike the real Naruto without hesitation.

Her performance left Hanabi stunned in the audience.

Had Hiashi still been sitting beside her, his reaction would likely have been much the same.

Without anyone noticing, the timid girl who had once lost to a sister five years younger than herself had grown.

“Cough! Cough!”

Naruto pushed himself up from the ground and coughed several times.

“That was amazing…”

He stared at Hinata with renewed caution.

Naruto once again crossed his fingers into the familiar seal.

“Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

A massive cloud of smoke spread across the arena.

Dozens of shadow clones appeared, surrounding Naruto’s real body.

The entire group charged toward Hinata at once.

Hinata’s expression did not change.

She slowly settled back into the stance of the Gentle Fist.

An invisible Eight Trigrams formation seemed to spread beneath her feet, covering both her and the real Naruto.

She ignored every shadow clone around him.

“Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!”

Whoosh!

The moment her voice fell, Hinata shot forward like an arrow.

She rushed straight into the mass of shadow clones and appeared before the real Naruto, whose eyes widened in shock.

Her hands became a blur.

“Two Palms!”

Her fingertips struck Naruto’s tenketsu.

“Four Palms!”

“Eight Palms!”

“Sixteen Palms!”

“Thirty-Two Palms!”

Hinata moved without hesitation, driving her chakra into each point along Naruto’s chakra network.

“Sixty-Four Palms!”

The final strikes landed.

Hinata suddenly turned her body, drew back one hand, and thrust her open palm toward Naruto’s chest.

“Eight Trigrams Air Palm!”

A violent blast of compressed air erupted from her palm.

BOOM!